


I'm Falling Again

by Swiftwars21



Series: RTA Episode Rewrites by a person with too many ideas [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, I'm Sorry, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Moon Powers Varian (Disney), Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Season three rewrite from Cassandra's revenge, Temporary Character Death, Zhan Tiri sucks, edited tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27808753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swiftwars21/pseuds/Swiftwars21
Summary: There were many ways this could've gone, but Varian didn't realize he'd find himself falling off a five-hundred foot black rock tower today. He also didn't realize nobody would be on the ledge to catch him.....not this time.Basically, what if Lance and the others hadn't been on that black rock ledge when Varian fell?
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: RTA Episode Rewrites by a person with too many ideas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084841
Comments: 88
Kudos: 187





	1. I imagine death so much it feels like a memory

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know why I wrote this......but I did.
> 
> I needed to get rid of the major writer's block that's been nagging at my brain for two damn weeks. This is how...
> 
> It's honestly been an idea I've had for a long time, and idk if anyone's done anything like this already. If so, sorry. But this will be my take on it; and if it's really similar to anyone else's, let me know. 
> 
> Anyways....enjoy...

Varian watched helplessly from his black rock enclosure as Eugene was painfully hugged by black rocks. Cassandra gripped her fists tightly, controlling said rocks with what looked like ease. Rapunzel was shouting for her to stop, pinned to the wall of the tower, as helpless as the sixteen-year old who basically helped the moonstone-wielder make this place. He knew he'd never forgive himself for it.

Through pained groans, Eugene managed to get out the words, "Don't give into her! Don't do anything she says!"

Varian hated the sound of his pain. He hated that he couldn't do anything as his best friend's life was being crushed out of him. He hated that this was all _his_ fault; that he'd been so weak to just give into the truth serum Cassandra had given him. Ironically, it was a formula that _he'd_ created. And this whole situation was also ironic. A friend turned enemy, a person used to lure Rapunzel to said enemy, and not to mention, someone being crushed. 

Oh, this scene was too familiar. 

The worst part of all of this, was that he couldn't do anything. Even after reforming, and doing everything he could to redeem himself from his evil ways, he couldn't at least attempt to help. And even if he did, it'd most likely backfire. Everything he did always backfired in the end, and everyone knew that. So, even if he _could_ help, it would just make things worse; worse for his idol, worse for his old friend, worse for the woman that saved his father with the--- _WAIT._

There was still something he could try. 

"Rapunzel!" he shouted, making the blonde turn to him. He quickly searched through his bad, easily finding what he was looking for. He pulled out the rolled up parchment, reaching as far as he could towards the princess, through the bars of his cage. "I have the final incantation! You have to use it!" 

Pascal, who stood atop Rapunzel's shoulder, shot out his tongue. The slimy, long rope wrapped around the paper in Varian's hand, and brought it up to the two. The chameleon unrolled it for Rapunzel to see. 

"Final incantation? What is he talking about?" Cassandra asked angrily from her spot by Eugene. And for a moment, Varian thought she'd attack him, maybe even kill him. With how far she's gone, he wouldn't be surprised. And it was also partially his fault, right? He hadn't been able to talk her out of what she'd been doing. He wasn't able to save her from this dark path; the same path he'd chosen not long ago, and ended up regretting deeply. He'd called her a villain right when she seemed to start considering these facts, and that made everything backfire. Of course. 

So if she did kill him, he knew he deserved it. 

But then, to the teen's surprise, she didn't impale him, or cause a mountain of black rocks to crush his already weakened body. Instead, she started saying the same incantation he had given her a few hours ago. 

Rocks suddenly started sprouting all throughout the tower, smaller ones shooting around Varian's cage. Okay, maybe she actually would kill him. 

Desperate and afraid, he called for the princess again. "Rapunzel, use it!" 

And then she did. The next thing Varian knew, Rapunzel was glowing like the actual sun itself, hovering in the air like a frozen eagle. It was almost blinding, especially when her and Cass broke into a power-filled battle of sun and moon. 

Everything after that almost passed in a complete blur. The two women fought hardly, creating a lot of contrasting lights of blue and yellow. Varian could've sworn he saw a glowing orb floating above everything, but didn't get to know for sure as a sudden explosion of light and wind clouded his vision. From the corner of his eye he saw Eugene, his black rock hug breaking away. That's when he realized his own enclosure was starting to fall apart from the strong winds.

Unfortunately, he also noticed the open spot in the tower walls behind him. If he didn't grab onto something quick, he'd be blown away, and fall who knows how far. His hands grabbed onto one of the bars of his eroding prison, desperate to cling onto the only thing keeping him from flying away. "Eu-Eugene!" he cried as the rocks around him finally started giving way. He tightened his grip.

"Varian!" he heard the man call back. Then a sudden scream caught his attention. No, _two screams_ caught his attention. 

The alchemist looked over, still partly blinded by the bright light, and landed on Lance, Max, and....wait, why were Angry and Catalina here?

Before he could say or do anything, he realized the rocks around him, even the one he was clutching, had completely fallen apart. The large forces of air started to push his body backward, towards the edge of the five-hundred foot tower. The young alchemist's hands searched frantically for something to grab onto, but found nothing as his body kept nearing closer to the edge. "No!" he screamed.

And that was when his whole life flashed before his eyes. The last thing he saw was Eugene's horror-stricken face, and the girls trapped in Lance's protective hug, before images popped up in his vision. He could still feel the air around him, pushing him downward who knows how far. But he only saw the memories. 

His father and mother's faces when he was born came first, then came his father's depression stage when the ladder of the two died. After that came the memory of going into Corona, and getting a lollipop to try and distract him from thinking of mom. After that was a time jump to his first science accident. Then the second, and the third, and the fourth. That made him question if any of his village would miss him. Most likely not, considering even before his evil stage they'd considered him a rodent. All of his inventions and experiments always messed up, almost _backfired._ He hated that word, he randomly decided. Yeah, they wouldn't care. 

Following those, came his first time meeting Rapunzel. She had been so kind, friendly, and naive. She was a far cry from the Rapunzel he knew now, and he didn't know if he liked it or not. He also didn't know if he liked the Eugene back then, either. Probably not, because he hadn't been as...well, let's just say _caring_ to Varian as he did now. He mostly cared for his girlfriend's safety; which was evident in his critical behavior towards the young inventor, and questioning all the machines the boy had created. But perhaps he was right to have been that way---after all, his inventions _did_ end up hurting her and her family. But now, that didn't exactly matter.

What mattered, was the memory that came next. The damn science exposition. Cassandra hadn't been exactly kind to him either, even before now. She'd betrayed a promise, and used him to get some guard duty. But then she apologized, and he'd forgiven her for it. Didn't mean it'd never hurt, but he still did. And that lead on to the worst of all memories. Dad lying to the king about the spreading black rocks. Varian going behind the man's back and testing on them. The argument that lead to Quirin pushing Varian away from his dangerous creation. The snow storm, and Nigel. And the promise he accused Rapunzel of betraying as he was dragged out of the castle. 

And then.....of course.....his father in the amber. The way the man's face was twisted in pain, holding up his letter like a lifeline. Trapped. _Paralyzed_ inside the wicked amber. Varian's breakdown came not long after, as well as the horrid images of the metal-helmeted guards keeping him trapped inside his own home for months. Then tricking Rapunzel into stealing the sundrop flower, and committing treason. Then the automatons and queen abduction. Then crushing the queen and Cassandra with one of his metal monsters. Then going to prison. Then meeting Andrew and his gang. Then being manipulated by that...that **bastard,** and escaping and taking over the kingdom. Then Rapunzel's return, and their small conversation in the cell. Then saving Corona, and Rapunzel almost dying to do so. 

After those memories, came freeing dad from the amber. Seeing the relieved look on the man's face when he was released from his crystal prison, and being held in his comforting embrace. Not only that, but the words Varian had forever longed to here came out of his mouth. Finally making his father proud, even after all he had done......even after Quirin had heard what he'd done, he never changed his perspective on his son. He was proud of him. 

But would he miss him?

Would he mourn like he had for Ulla? Would he bury his son's corpse? Most likely....right? 

Everyone would miss him. They'd miss the pest that had ruined their lives many times, even though Varian wouldn't understand why. Rapunzel would cry over the loss of the former villain, who kidnapped her mother and crushed her heart with his betrayal. Eugene would comfort her, and maybe even cry himself a bit over the loss of Team Awesome's other half. Lance....maybe not so much, since they never really knew each other much. The girls, he knew, saw him like an older brother, so they'd probably take the alchemist's death kinda hard. And Ruddiger....oh, Ruddiger...

Varian hated the thought of leaving his best, best, _best_ friend. The one soul who'd been with him his entire journey, all except for the very end. He'd probably not understand Varian was gone, and wait. He'd wait by the lab door everyday, waiting for his owner to come back, and help assist on more experiments. He'd wait....and wait....and wait, only for Varian to never return to his dear, loyal companion. His friend, practically his therapist, would lose him, and Varian him. They'd never see each other again. 

At least it would happen fast; with the variables of height, speed, and such, there was no chance of survival. Maybe, however, Rapunzel would fling her hair down in record time to catch him. Maybe all of these flashbacks would be for nothing, and he'd be just fine in a few seconds. Maybe someone was somehow below him, waiting to catch him. Of course, that was probably impossible. 

So he should just relish the small amount of time he has left. A few more seconds, and he'd be gone. He wouldn't exist anymore. He could see his mom again....he could run into her arms, and be held by her again. Yes, he could already see her on the other side. 

She was right there in the clouds, high above his head. She was smiling down, arms stretched, and waiting to grab him and pull him up to her. _Don't worry, mom, I'll be there soon._

Then she disappeared, and was replaced by darker, grayer clouds. The top of the tower was high above him, and he could already feel death coming for him. The last thing he needed to do before if caught him, was except it. He had the except his fate; the ending life had laid out for him. He couldn't help but chuckle on the inside at the fact that this was how his life was ending. After many years of falling from large heights and surviving, he would finally not escape. He wouldn't survive this time. 

And right now, he was okay with that.

And that's when the darkness finally took over.


	2. A fallen friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I sorry? Yes. Actually, no. But yes. Buuuuuuutttttttt no.
> 
> Also for those of you reading my 'The End Of Corona', I promise I'm still working on it!
> 
> Enjoy.....but make sure to bring your tissues!

Eugene was both relieved and shaken. The past hour had been filled with......well, drama is the short way to put it. If he was being completely honest, he wasn't exactly expecting to be almost crushed to death today, or see his girlfriend light up and fly. But hey, what's exactly new?

At least she wasn't hurt, which he'd been really worried about when she'd fallen limply to the ground, after the whole 'Colorful Light Battle', as he liked to call it. But of course, when he'd ran to her side, she'd gotten up like she didn't just fight her best friend with flashy colors and wind. No, she got up like the strong woman she was, and seemed to have had no injuries that could be seen. Sun, he loved her.

He loved her even more when he pulled her into an embrace, and she melted into it like warm ice cream. Her hugs were always the best.

But right now wasn't exactly the perfect time to dwell on this, and the former thief preferred to make up at least _some_ of the time that had been taken from his birthday. So when Lance, Max, and the girls walked up to them, he pulled away. Rapunzel looked a bit saddened by this, but he knew that she knew they couldn't stay here much longer, and risk getting caught by Cass again. 

Lance speaking broke him from his thoughts. "Can we ever go one week without any magic or life-threatening adventures?" the other man humorously asked. Angry and Catalina, who sat on Maximus, nodded their heads in agreement. Rapunzel chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't exactly be Corona if we could." she replied. The princess tied up her hair with her beads. Eugene would never understand how she could do that so quickly.

Everyone laughed, all except for the two girls, who looked at each other with matching concerned expressions. Eugene was the only one to notice. 

"Hey, are you two okay?" he asked, gaining everyone's attention. Angry and Catalina looked around, searching for something. After a moment, they turned back to everyone. Their worried faces made Eugene's heart beat slow, and it didn't help that they shook their heads slightly at his question. 

"Where's Varian?" Catalina asked. The question was simple; only two easy-to-pronounce words, formed from simple letters. It wouldn't be such a horrifying statement, if it weren't for a few things. For one, the tone in her voice. And for two, the realization of what exactly happened to Varian almost minutes ago striking Eugene right in the face, making his whole body freeze in horror. 

If his heart slowed before, now it had completely stopped. How could he have forgotten? He remembered the powerful winds breaking his rock-binds, and setting him free, as well as the great beacon of light filling the entire room. He also remembered the sound of the young alchemist's voice calling his name, and the agonizing amount of fear hidden in it. He remembered Varian's cage completely collapsing, and the heavy breeze pushing him just away from the older man's reach, and right out of the tower window. Right off a five-hundred foot drop. 

"Eugene?" he heard a muffled voice call. But it was barely audible over the ringing in his ears. Everything inside him completely ceased to function, and it was like he was back at the tower a few years ago; in shock, and losing life. Only this time, that wasn't what was happening. He was completely alive, actually. He was only dying inside at the horrific thought of someone he cared for losing their own life. Someone he could've _saved._

But there was also the slim possibility that the kid was somehow still alive. If he was, he had to find out.

Before anyone around him could react, the man started sprinting away from them, towards the staircase hidden under some rocks. The ringing grew louder, making it so he couldn't hear any of his friends calling for him. All he cared about in that moment, was making sure Varian was okay. He couldn't give up on the scrawny kid easily, considering he knew just how 'fall' prone this kid was. Every time the kid fell, he managed to survive. This had to be one of those times, right?

All he could do in that moment, as he ran down the slanted steps of the tower, was hope that he was right.

(---------------------------------------------------------)

Rapunzel didn't know how to react in that moment, surprised by her boyfriend's sudden bolt. 

It took a moment for her to even realize what was happening, before chasing after him, friends in tow. 

It worried her that Eugene just.....froze up a few seconds ago at Catalina's question. She'd felt it from beside him, and when looking at his horror-stricken expression, her heart almost shattered. She didn't know if it was for the look she'd never seen on Eugene, or the thought of _why_ he looked that way. Something had happened to Varian, she realized. It'd taken a few moments for that to actually dawn on the princess, and when it did, it gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Eugene knew what happened to Varian, and she didn't know if she even wanted to know herself. 

So that's how she found herself chasing after her would-be fiance (if it hadn't been for Cass) down the black rock tower. The others weren't far behind, though she did find it hard to keep up with her much more athletic lover, almost losing him a couple times. She'd also tried calling his name multiple time, but it was like he couldn't even hear her. 

"Eugene!" she called again, chasing him around yet another corner. How big was this place, exactly? Cassandra had made it, obviously, with the third incantation that Varian must've told her. Rapunzel didn't want to know how her former friend had gotten it out of him, but she knew Varian was a pretty stubborn teenager, so he probably didn't just give it to her willingly. She hoped he wasn't too hurt.

 _If he's even still alive._ Her subconscious traitorously thought. She shook the idea away instantly, not wanting to dwell anymore on it. He wasn't going to slip out of her life that easily. 

Finally, after almost fifteen minutes, she saw Eugene turn and run up another staircase. When she followed suit, she almost missed the opening right by it----her peripheral vision spotted her boyfriend's familiar stature. She turned to run onto the outside platform sticking from the tower, breathing heavily for air. She stopped right behind her lover, who's back was facing her. 

"Woah, Eu-Eugene. What's-" and she stopped when she noticed the man's still body. The man's _shaking_ body. 

Confused, she slowly approached. "Eugene?" she asked, though she could tell he wouldn't answer. What was he so freaked out about? Did he find Varian? That's when Rapunzel saw the red liquid dripping off the side of the platform, though she couldn't see the cause of it because of Eugene's broad body. It didn't take a genius to know what the liquid was, though, and that's when her heart almost completely stopped. 

Refusing to believe the idea in her head, she quickened her approach, and pushed past her partner to see what he was looking down at. The air in her lungs caught inside her throat, making the gasp that escaped her sound almost breathless. Her shaky hands slapped over her mouth, as tears instantly formed in her eyes. 

Below the couple's feet lied Varian----but he didn't exactly _look_ like the Varian she saw only half an hour ago. His body was scarily still and un-moving, his skin as pale as fresh snow (okay, horrible comparison). His hands were spread out at his side, and his legs were in a position Rapunzel knew they shouldn't be in, but somehow were. And his face...his face was drained of any life he once had. It no longer possessed the excitement and sarcasm, or the brightness that reminded Rapunzel of the moon. Under his head was a puddle of the red liquid---blood---that trailed to the edge of the stone platform. 

But, oddly, the worst part about this all was that his chest didn't move. It didn't move up like it was supposed to, nor did it move down to show signs of inhaling oxygen. No, it sat completely still among the rest of his frozen parts. Rapunzel didn't want to admit the horrible thought from earlier had come true. In fact, she HATED to even think it. But it was impossible not to, when it was a horribly true fact. A horrible nightmare come true. 

Varian was gone. The alchemist Rapunzel had met two years ago, who'd helped her with the rocks, and later betrayed her, was gone. The teenager who came back to the light and fought desperately to rewrite his wrongs, and not to mention saved Corona only a few weeks ago, was gone. The princess would never see his face lighting up in pride when he received praise again. She wouldn't see his over-intelligent mind create new things that could benefit the kingdom. She wouldn't get to see that sweet, buck-tooth smile again. She wouldn't see the boy she saved again, because she wasn't able to save him again. It was all her fault. 

But for some reason, the physical part of her didn't seem to believe that. 

"N-No...No..." she breathed. Her legs automatically ran forward to land right beside Varian's ~~dead~~ unconscious body, hands pulling the beads from her long, blonde locks. She didn't care that the beads fell from the tower, landing somewhere below. All she could care about was her friend, who she wouldn't leave again. She couldn't make that mistake again. 

The long-haired princess grabbed a portion of her hair, knowing full well that it no longer had it's healing abilities, but not letting go of the last bit of hope clinging to her. It was horribly ironic that when she first found out about her lost powers, she's tried to heal the same teenager in front of her. Maybe....just maybe, it would work. It had to.

She ignored Eugene's, "Rapunzel?" and Pascal's squeaks from her shoulder, until she managed to wrap some of her hair around the boy's head. She ignored the irony.

That's suddenly when the dams started to crack, and she felt herself choke on a sudden sob that had reached her throat. No, she couldn't let them escape until he was back. Not until he was breathing again. Though as much as her mind told her it, her eyes betrayed her. The tears slipped down her face as she started to sing. 

"P-Power gleam and glow..." she stuttered, the sobs beginning to wrack her body. "L-let your p-power shine." 

As she tried, she felt Eugene kneel behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Rapunzel." he tried, but failed to get her attention as she continued. "Make the c-clock reverse, bring b-back what o-once was m-mine." 

Even after the first verse, her hair didn't react. It didn't glow as it used to years ago, nor did it even spark. Even the tears that now splattered on her friend's body didn't seem to react as they did when Eugene had died. There was no light, even as she sang----more like cried----the second verse. Eugene kept trying to shake her out of it, but Rapunzel wouldn't listen, and repeated the song once again. This time, the tune was more off, and the cried finally took over as she painfully accepted the fact that it wouldn't work. No matter how hard she tried, it would never work. He was gone.

The distraught princess finally allowed her boyfriend to pull him into his arms, and she cried into his chest shakily. 

It didn't help when the others finally found them. She didn't see them, but she was able to hear their horrified gasps from behind them. And it broke her heart even more at the sound of Catalina's, "V?"

She looked up to see the girls had run to Varian's other side. Angry looked horrified by the bloody scene, and Catalina started shaking the boy's body in an attempt to wake him from his infinite slumber. This caused Rapunzel to cry even more, and fall back against her boyfriend, while listening to Catalina's breaking voice. 

"Varian, wake up! V, come on!" the girl kept yelling. Each shake grew more aggressive, while each shout cracked more. 

"Cat..." Angry whispered from next to her sister, though it didn't do anything. "VARIAN, PLEASE WAKE UP!" the other girl suddenly screamed, before breaking down into a painful cry. The red-head fell on Varian's still chest, shaking as Angry hugged her from behind. 

Everyone cried at that moment. It didn't matter if Cassandra found them, or even killed them. 

Right now, they all just painfully mourned the loss of their alchemist friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bad writing; I didn't realize how hard this would be to write, which is why it's a lot shorter than originally planned.
> 
> But, hey........next chapter is from a certain blue-haired girl's POV!
> 
> Okay, ima just go cry now...


	3. Moonstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra finds out about Varian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, this chapter turned out a bit longer to write than I planned, but......oh well!
> 
> Enjoy!

Cassandra groaned, consciousness slowly filling her body.

The first thing she noticed was the cold, smooth surface beneath her face. She groaned more, allowing her eyes to slowly open and reveal her surroundings. The first thing she saw was the far landscape of trees at her side, stretching beyond the darkening skies. She rolled onto her back to see her black rock tower high above her---the top was at least a few hundred feet in the air above her. 

That's when the memories seeped back into her mind. 

She remembered crashing Eugene's birthday party, and how egocentric he was about the dumb thing. She also remembered kidnapping Varian and taking the scroll, as well as forcing him to give her the black rock incantation with his own truth serum. Okay, maybe that was a little too far, especially considering he looked to be in a bit of pain when he tried resisting it. But it wasn't technically her fault---if he'd just let the serum take control for a few seconds, he wouldn't have gone through whatever pain he went through. Plus, it was better than what she was originally planning to do, so...

Moving on from that, Cassandra then recalled forming this very fortress with the incantation given to her, as well as the long walk up it. Then Varian tried to argue with her about what she was doing. Okay, maybe he was a little right about some stuff. But what did he really know? He'd called her a villain. A _villain._ Shouldn't he know that she was in the right? Everything she was doing was to fulfill her destiny, and create a legacy. She'd tried doing it the simpler way for years. But they all ignored her desperate attempts to get their attention. All she was seen as was Rapunzel's servant, and nothing more. So was she _really_ the bad guy if she was just taking the harder way of getting approval?

No. She wasn't. Varian may have thought he could relate to her, but he couldn't, because he was a villain. She didn't know how he ended up reforming again, but she didn't care about that. What she did care about was that he joined sides with Rapunzel. If he really couldn't see how he was on the wrong side......then that was just his mistake. 

All these thoughts passed through her mind in mere seconds, as more memories filled her mind. "Fighting" Rapunzel, crushing Eugene (and oh, that had felt good), Varian giving her the apparently last incantation, Rapunzel glowing a floating, and then the explosions of light and wind, which pushed her off the tower to where she was now. She remembered it barely being sunset then, so she must not have passed out too long. 

With all the strength she had left, the blue-haired woman got to her feet, groaning from the soreness in her legs. Sure, the armor may have protected her from cuts, stabs, and even sprains and breaks. But that didn't mean it protected her from the pain. It didn't really matter now. What _did_ matter, was getting back up to Rapunzel. 

With her powers, she formed a staircase of black rocks spiraling up the tower. She started walking up them, still tired and weak. But she wouldn't let that stop her. Rapunzel may think she'd won this battle, but she was wrong. There was still a chance that Cass could win this, no matter what or who it cost. As long as she bested the princess, she'd be satisfied. 

As she partially limped up the staircase, her thoughts ran back through all of the events of the day. 

Each memory brought her more frustration, from the argument, to Rapunzel's stubbornness with not wanting to fight her. Why? Why was that woman so insistent on bringing Cass back? All that would happen would be going back to a normal life; Cassandra would go back to waiting. Waiting in Rapunzel's shadow, and in the empty prison cell that she'd surely get after what's already happened. It was too late to turn back now. And at this point, it didn't matter who got in the way, as long as they were pushed out of it....by any means necessary. That included her main enemy. No matter how much Rapunzel tried, she'd never get her "sister" back. 

Rapunzel didn't deserve it after all she'd done. 

After she took away her mother, and everything else she ever wanted. 

She didn't. 

Right?

She shook away the thought, looking up as she got closer to the top of the tower again. She didn't know if Rapunzel would be there, or Eugene and Varian for that matter. The thought of the young alchemist made her scowl. How could she have been so stupid as to of left him and his bag? She knew nothing he had would help him get out, because black rocks were obviously indestructible. Even if there was, he had still been on a thin beam, stretching hundreds of feet above solid ground. Knowing his luck, he would've fallen in seconds.

So, of course, she just gave the kid his bag and went about her day, waiting for Rapunzel to come for him. She didn't think that there was another incantation. She didn't think that damned parchment would be of any use anymore. But she found out to late that she was wrong. She hated being wrong.

Honestly, if she could've, she would've given the kid a taste of his own medicine right then and there for betraying her word, _"...and I don't want to hurt you...don't try anything foolish."_ She could've given him the same treatment he did to her two years ago. Her ribs had been bruised for weeks after that automaton incident. 

But then, that transparent girl interrupted her from doing anything, saying something along the lines of, "It doesn't matter" or whatever. Come to think of it, where was her annoying companion?

Cass looked around, but couldn't find the ghost anywhere. Usually, the girl would hover somewhere near her, either blabbering about how important Cassandra's destiny was to her, or just watch her silently. Cass would be lying if she said she didn't find that creepy, or even suspicious. Wherever the girl went off to, she had a feeling it was never somewhere she wanted to go. She made a small mental note to keep tabs on her more closely from now on.

As she noted this, she finally reached the top of the tower. The stairs didn't lead directly to the top, so the moonstone-wielder found she had to climb onto it---being too weak to control more rocks at the moment. _Damn it! Why'd I have to waste so much of my power?_

Suddenly, she felt something spark on her chest. She flinched, looking down to see that a small sliver of the moonstone was missing, creating small sparks of neon electricity cracking off of it. 

Curious, she reached to touch it, but was stopped by a sudden burst of purple light coming from behind her. She shielded her eyes from the small blast, which only lasted a second. When she looked back up, she saw a small portal of purple light floating just a few inches from the ground. A figure then stepped out of it. A very familiar figure.

It was the ghost girl, though she didn't really look like a ghost anymore. She wasn't transparent, and now was full of dark color. Her fluffy dress was now a raven black, matching the smooth grey apron going down her middle, and the black gloves on her hands. Her once see-through skin was now as white as snow, though it gave off a more eerie vibe than the usually calm substance. Her two-bunned hair was now a light violet, matching the darker toned jewel sitting on her forehead, connected to a rope of black beads. 

For some reason, Cassandra actually found her face a lot more....well, settling than her past ghostly one. Before, whenever she would contort her lips into that strange smile, she looked like she'd eat every fiber of Cassandra in five seconds flat. Now, however, it seemed a lot more calmer. Her face was the same as the rest of her skin, clashing well with her light purple and black eye shadow. It also matched her dark purple eyes, which were just a little darker than her head jewel. 

Overall, she was much, much different than the girl she was before. 

The girl sighed satisfyingly, puffing her hair buns a bit with her gloved hands. "Finally. The clash of the sun and moon has released me from my prison." she spoke in her usual accented voice. But the small growl at the end of the statement didn't escape Cassandra's notice. 

"It's good to be back." the girl mused, seemingly admiring her hand. Then her face changed into a smile, a twisted one at that. Though it wasn't as creepy as her usual contorted ones, it still didn't seem very humanly.

"Where have you been?" Cassandra immediately questioned, crossing her arms. 

The girl just chuckled softly. "Did I not just explain, Cassandra? The collision of both the sun drop and moonstone created an opening in my eternal prison. I took the opportunity to escape while I had it." she explained, looking to not notice the other female's annoyed look. The look then changed into one of confusion, then realization.

"That's why you didn't want me to worry about the fourth incantation, isn't it? You knew it could help you escape from wherever the hell you were." 

The short girl nodded. Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"You know, there's a lot of grey area in that explanation. If I can still trust you, I need to know the whole story." she demanded, reaching for the sword stuck inside the back of her armor. To her surprise, her 'friend' rolled her eyes, still keeping a small grin on her smug face. 

"Of course, Cassandra. All in due time will my story unfold. But I think there are other things to contemplate about at the moment." she stated cryptically. Cassandra _hated_ cryptic talk.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slowly moving her hand away from her sword's sheath. The girl didn't say anything more, beckoning the woman to follow her. Cassandra was of course hesitant at first, wanting to know what she meant by her story unfolding. But for the moment, she decided to focus on something else. Besides, she just realized, Rapunzel wasn't here. So there were other things she still needed to worry about first.

After a moment of thinking, she reluctantly followed her short partner. The girl lead her towards the other side of the corrupted tower. The walls had all broken apart in the explosion; some parts caving in, while others had just disappeared somehow. But right now, she just focused warily on keeping trail with her "friend."

Once they were a few yards away from the edge of the tower, the girl suddenly started talking again, still walking forward. 

"There was a....set back, in some of the plan. Of course, it won't matter now, seeing as he probably wouldn't be of much help anyways." 

Cassandra raised a brow, inwardly cursing at the continuing cryptic speech. "What are you talking about? Who wouldn't be of much help?" she asked. The way the girl had spoken meant something bad had happened to one of Rapunzel's teammates. Since the word 'he' had been said, something had happened to either Eugene, Varian, or Lance. And as much as she didn't like any of them, she secretly hoped it wasn't Lance. She'd seen the way he kept the girls safe....and as much as she really hated to admit it, she sort of admired that side of him, even though he was still an idiot. Or, if she was wrong, maybe was.

It took a moment for the girl to reply. "Well, I did have more ideas as to how the boy could have helped in our- _your_ mission to fulfill your destiny. But, unfortunately, his fate has changed."

Cassandra forced down the pit in her stomach at the mention of Varian. 'His fate has changed'? What did that mean? Cassandra didn't like him. She wasn't supposed to. But if he had gotten really injured.....did she really want that? Was that how her destiny really had to be fulfilled. Sure, just a few minutes ago she had been wishing pain on the whole group, including Varian. But now that she was thinking of it....she didn't really know how hurting anyone would do any good in completing this 'mission'. 

But she had to think about that later. She needed to know what happened first.

And she regretted thinking that not long after.

When they approached the edge at the other side of the tower, the girl peered down, seeming to be staring at something down below. Cassandra stopped next to her and followed her gaze down to a platform at least two or three hundred feet below them. She saw the group---they hadn't really left after all---circling something, though the woman couldn't see from her viewpoint. 

Deciding she needed a knew spot, she ran over to the staircase lading into the tower, ignoring her aching legs. She didn't look back at her partner, and didn't stop as she started to quietly dash down the staircase. After a few more stairs and halls, she finally made it to the opening that lead to the platform Rapunzel's group was on. They weren't huddled as close anymore, but she still couldn't quite tell what they were around. Her heart subtly tightened---subtly being the key word---at the sound of sniffling. 

Everyone was crying, she realized. 

Why?

Before she could think more, the group suddenly shifted so that she could see what they were huddled around. What she saw almost made her whole body stop. 

Varian was lying in the middle of them in the center of the black rock platform, unconscious......unmoving......and bleeding. Oh, the blood could make anyone throw up, even though it was already half-dried on the smooth rock surface. It was an almost unbelievable sight to behold, but it there. The broken limbs, the dried blood, the lifeless body. Oh, it was definitely there. 

But yet, Cassandra couldn't find herself to believe it. 

She couldn't find herself to believe the young teenager from two years ago, that named a whole element after her, and almost killed her and attacked the kingdom with an army of hand-built robots, went to prison, and somehow survived, was dead. 

The over-intelligent sixteen year old that she kidnapped. That she drugged, and dragged up miles of stairs after forcing him to tell her the incantation to make them. That she almost decapitated, slammed rocks at, and entrapped hundreds of feet in the air for hours. Dead. 

It was as impossible as Eugene without that filthy goatee. But, somehow it happened. And it was her fault. She killed him. And what for, anyway? For some stupid dream of getting attention for once? For her selfish reasons? 

Just as these inquiries passed through her head, she heard some shuffling behind her. She turned to see her "friend" standing against a wall, a look of sympathy in her eyes. And that's when Cass realized a few tears had managed to escape. She quickly wiped at them, embarrassed that she showed the smallest bit of weakness. The girl just smiled with fake sadness, though Cassandra didn't actually notice it was fake through the shock still lingering in her mind. 

Then, suddenly, the sound of voices caught her attention. Cassandra whirrled back around, and jumped back into her spot behind the wall as the others looked her way, before looking back at each other. The woman, who they still didn't know hid behind them, couldn't help but eavesdrop on their words, though they all shared very few. 

"We should...get back." Rapunzel sniffed, tying her hair up. It seemed like she had tried to bring him back with it, but it clearly didn't work. 

Eugene nodded, taking his hand off the blonde's back to pick up the young corpse still sprawled on the platform, bridal style. 

"But...what about Cassandra?" one of the girls asked, but Cassandra didn't know which one. She heard a heavy sigh, and Lance reply, "We have to go before she finds us." Then Cass heard an angry 'ugh', and the sound of a small grunt. "NO!" one of the girls suddenly shouted, making even Cass flinch at the slight growl to it. "I won't leave until she's gone! She killed V! She deserves to-" Cassandra almost froze at the words, before they were cut off by Lance's. 

"Hey, hey! Breath." she heard him say. A few deep breaths later, and the man was talking again. "I know you're angry, and I can't blame you. But if you go after her, you might just end up like Varian."

Cassandra could practically hear the flinch from her hiding place. Her fists clenched.

Did he really think so low of her that she'd kill a little kid? Is that really how they all thought of her? Did they think she was so cold? _Well, you did kill one of their closest friends._

She mentally slapped her subconscious at its words, though a small part of her knew they were true. But she didn't let that part of her grow larger than a breadcrumb; instead smashing it down deep into her, and focusing her attention back on the group.

"We better hurry." she heard Eugene say, before the sound of footsteps started coming her way. She had two options at that moment: Take the opportunity to block them off and fight Rapunzel again (though that put the Angry and Red at high risk), or run. In her five second thinking moment, she chose the ladder of the two, and quickly bolted back towards the staircase, not taking the time to notice her "friend" missing. The blue-haired girl managed to dodge them and get back to the top of the tower, finding that her legs were even more sore than before.

Taking heavy breaths, the warrior fell to her knees at the edge of the tower, directly above the platform the others had been on---directly where Varian had fallen. 

She winced at the memory of his face as he was shot out of the tower in a black rock cage. The memory morphed into the one of when he and Eugene were dragged back into the tower; him holding the man's hand for dear life, and fear painted all over his face. Was he really that afraid of her? _Had_ he been?

"It must be weighing heavily on your shoulders, isn't it?" a sudden voice asked. She jumped, spinning around in surprise to see the ~~ghost girl~~ little girl standing a few feet away. She wore a saddened expression, at least it looked sad. And her hands played with each others gloves, as though they had bugs on them. Cassandra had to admit, she was a bit frightened by her sometimes. Not that's she'd admit it out loud.

She didn't say anything, just nodded and looked away; back to the bloodied black rock below. _Varian's_ blood. He'd always been afraid of the substance, she recalled. She'd seen him pass out from it even. As funny as it was then, and maybe a little a few hours ago, it was now as distant as the moon. Just far and dark. 

Her "friend" sighed. "It may feel hard now, Cassandra. But you must remember that there will be casualties." Cassandra perked up at that. "There will be people who will try to stop you from reaching your destiny. And the only way to-" Cassandra cut her off.

"But what if I don't WANT casualties? Why do people have to die for me to get what I need?" she snapped, jumping to her feet. The girl seemed unfazed by this sudden outburst, just sighing again. "If they don't, you won't get what's rightfully yours. You will go back to waiting in Rapunzel's shadow. Is that what you want?"

Cassandra scowled. "Wha- of course not! But-"

"Then you must except the fact that the boy is gone, and there is nothing you can do about it. Unless..." the girl suddenly stopped, putting her index finger to her mouth in sudden deep thought. Cassandra raised a brow. "Unless?" 

Her "friend" took a moment to continue pondering, before looking back up to her with a small smile. Cassandra found it concerning that she couldn't read the smile, but was distracted by the thought when the girl turned to face her back to the moonstone-wielder, and started pacing.

"Unless, the moonstone may save him." the girl offered, turning back to face Cass, though her eyes trained on the blue stone in her chest. Cassandra's eyes widened, looking down to the opal, which was still sparking little bits of lightening. "The...moonstone? But how?" she questioned, touching it with her shielded hand. 

The girl furrowed her brows in another session of thought, turning back around. "I've suspected it since I first laid eyes on him. But I wasn't sure..." she muttered, returning to her pacing. Cass crossed her arms. "Suspected _what?"_

The girl suddenly started chuckling, sending shivers down the blue-hair's spine. 

When she once again turned back to her, she slowly reached out her hand, holding a glowing blue sliver in between all of her fingers. Cassandra recognized it immediately, but when she tried going for it, the girl took a step back and shook her head. "Oh, no, Cassandra, this isn't for you." she smirked. 

Cassandra's eyes narrowed, before widening as the girl took the woman's hand, and placed it in her armored palm. Cassandra instinctively closed her fist around it, and looked back to the girl with suspicion in her eyes. This made the girl chuckle again. She pointed her finger behind Cass, making her look behind her. The blue eyes landed on the small group of people heading back through the vine covered entrance to the fortress, then back to the girl. 

"Are you saying..." she trailed off, looking back to her closed hand. 

The girl nodded. "Only if used correctly." she said, trailing two of her fingers down Cassandra's fist. Then, unexpectedly, she grabbed the fist, and smirked widely at the other woman. 

"Let me show you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, what is Zhan Tiri planning???


	4. Lost But Not Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the gang: Everyone is having a bad day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this late! BUT I have a good reason, lol.
> 
> I actually got my parents to watch TTS, and we've sorta been binge watching it for the past few days XD
> 
> And that's why this is shorter than planned. I wanted to get something out, aaannnndd....here it is...
> 
> I hope ya'll enjoy the sadness!

Everyone was having a bad day, but none more so than Rapunzel.

For one, she spent the entire day planning Eugene's birthday party, only for it to be crashed by none other then her best friend, who had taken the moonstone a few months prior. At first Rapunzel was relieved that after so long, she finally came back. But, of course, she had changed. And it wasn't just her knew black rock armor. No, it was Cass in general. From her stride to even her physical features; the lightening blue hair, the pale white face, and the light blue eyes were the most noticeable, and even the most frightening. Then she threatened the princess and left, like they were forever enemies, and were never close at any point. She wasn't the Cassandra from two years ago.

Then, for two, one of her close friends got kidnapped by said woman, as well as the scroll being taken. When Rapunzel first realized Varian had been taken, she was at first, well.....worried. But in two forms. Of course she worried for his safety, because she really had grown to care for the sixteen-year old the past few months. But the second was something she tried to hide, knowing it was a horrible thought to have in her head. As much as she trusted Varian now, she worried that Cassandra would somehow convince him to going to her side. She knew she shouldn't think that way, but it was hard not to when she remembered that Varian had a crush on the blue-haired woman two years ago. Maybe he still did? 

Next was, of course, going to Cassandra's new fortress. Rapunzel had had no doubt she used the third incantation to create the place, and was worried about how she got it out of Varian. When they'd gone, she found herself relieved (and of course worried) when Eugene found Varian in the cage. That meant he was still with her....NOT that she doubted him all that much. Then she had to confess to Eugene of her surprise proposal, which had gone horribly wrong because of Cassandra's birthday crash. Then she had to actually confront her best friend, who tried to fight her. But Rapunzel being Rapunzel never stopped trying to reach out. She didn't want to fight or hurt her best friend, no matter what. At least, that's what she thought.

When Cassandra brought both Varian and Eugene back inside, and threatened Eugene's life, it was like all of the organs inside Rapunzel had completely flipped upside down. All of her restraint had broken, and she felt not herself. She felt an anger that filled her blood to the brim----and the only other time she'd felt that way was when she found out who Gothel was almost three years ago. It felt.... _wrong_ , yet also right. And she hated it.

Then, Varian revealed he had one last incantation, and everything after that was a complete blur. She didn't remember floating, or lighting up, or the wind or flashes of color. She didn't remember Lance and the girls entering the room, or Eugene being released from his suffocating black rock grip. She also didn't remember hearing Varian's screams as he was blown out of the tower, or Cassandra's. She didn't remember _any of it._

But that wasn't the worst of any of this. No, the worst part was that Varian----the brilliant alchemist, the sassy and sweet teenager who she saved from the darkness----had been killed. He had fallen half of the tower's height, and died on heavy impact. Died, because she wasn't able to save him. If she hadn't been in her trance, she might've been able to use her hair to lasso him. But that didn't happen. 

What made things worse, was that her hair had lost it's healing power. She didn't know why, or how. But it did. And because it did, she wasn't able to bring him back to life as she had Eugene. This time, someone she cared about was gone forever. There was no changing it this time. 

So yeah, everyone's having a shit time. 

And that's why everyone's here.

Eugene had recommended getting as far from Cassandra's tower as possible before finding a place to rest, so they spent about an hour of walking, before settling down in a small clearing close to a stream. Old Corona was about two hours away walk wise, but if they had another horse (Max being the only one they brought on this horrible adventure), it would only take half an hour (and that was just a slow gallop). 

There were two logs across from each other, and in the center was a burnt patch of grass, signaling that someone had already been here not too long ago. Lance, Angry, and Catalina all sat against one log, huddling up for warmth as they stared sulkily into the fresh flames Eugene had set. Said man sat against the other log with Rapunzel, and they both leaned against each other in the same, morose silence. Max sat a few feet away, under one of the apple trees, where they had set Varian's body, ordering him to keep watch of not only the camp, but the boy. 

Max eyes the apple above his head, only inches away. But Rapunzel watched as he sighed (if horses even can), and looked away-----even the white stallion was glum. 

Pascal, who normally didn't take to anybody other than Rapunzel and Eugene, sat on Varian's head protectively. He looked around the surrounding underbrush cautiously, as if someone would jump out and grab the boy. That just went to show how _horrible_ the day had been. Rapunzel could agree more than anybody.

The blonde kept gazing towards the animals, eyes scanning Varian for any signs of movement. But it was useless. 

As she stared sadly, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked over to Eugene, who had a few tear stains going down his cheeks. His eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions Rapunzel couldn't read, but she still understood what he was thinking. Really, everyone was actually thinking it; that it'd somehow been their faults for the alchemist's demise. 

Lance, the girls, and Max all regretted not staying on the platform when they had found it to. Pascal, who at the time had been almost blow away himself, regretted not at least trying to help the kid, who had been pushed right behind him. Rapunzel's was already explained, and Eugene....if Rapunzel was being honest, might actually feel the worst out of everybody.

He had tried desperately to reach Varian when he'd shouted for him. Eugene noticed the cage breaking even before he did, but yet he didn't make it in time. Varian had been mere fingertips away from him. Just another second, and he would've caught him. But fate had had other plans, and right as he was about to grab him, he'd been sucked away like a vortex. As fast as lightening. 

So they all felt guilty, was the basic summary of the end. And that's why Rapunzel grabbed Eugene's hand and squeezed, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay. But they both knew there was a small chance of that, so Eugene pulled Rapunzel's head to rest against his chest, and started running his hand through the princess's long locks. Rapunzel sighed, pressing her hand against his chest as she silently started crying again.

It would be a long time before she'd get over this.

And if it did, she'd do it with the people she still had. Even if it was painful, it's what Varian would want. He'd want them to get back on their feet, and figure out how to save Cassandra. And so if that's what he wanted, that's what he'd get.

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel sat back up and wiped the tears away. Everyone turned their attention to her, none of them able to sleep.

"Okay, so I think we should talk." she stated. 

Everyone watched her silently, not making any move to disagree or argue. Rapunzel took that as her cue to continue. 

"Today's been, well..." she gazed back to Varian, before continuing. "And I know how we're all feeling and what we're thinking. But Varian wouldn't want this." At the mention of the alchemist's name, everyone focused themselves more on the princess. Catalina shifted from Lance's grip, pulling her knees to her chest and biting her lip. Angry moved as well, moving to sit on top of their log.

Rapunzel honestly didn't know what else to say. She'd always been the up-lifter of everyone; the one who made the "inspiring speeches" and whatnot. It was how she worked and coped. But this time, she couldn't find the words that would always come easily in these situations. One of the reasons of that was because this wasn't a situation the team had actually gone through. They hadn't really experienced the death of a loved one, much less mourned through it. Eugene didn't really count, considering he'd come back to life, and Rapunzel was the only witness to it. And that's how she realized this would be a lot harder than dealing with automatons or black rocks. 

But then, to her surprise, Eugene spoke for her. 

"She's right. Hair stripe wouldn't want us sitting on our asses and moping over him." the man moved to sit on his and Rapunzel's log, bringing the princess to sit up next to him. Lance moved to sit on top of the other log, next to Angry, and Catalina soon joined.

"Yeah, he'd want us to stay strong for him, no matter what." Lance nodded. Max whinnied from his spot at the tree, and Pascal chirped, now cuddling into Varian's lap. 

A sudden wave of guilt hit Rapunzel, as she suddenly remembered Ruddiger, who they had left alone in the Demanitus Chamber. She hid the feeling inside, deciding to worry about it when tomorrow came. 

Angry reached back into the travel bag she had brought, pulling out washed apples. She handed one to everyone, before raising her own in the air.

"For Varian." she cheered. 

"For Varian." everyone repeated.

(--------------------------------------------------------------------------)

The next morning was slow. Everyone wasn't at all excited for what the next few hours would bring, and it didn't help that there were grey clouds blanketing the sky. 

But they all knew it had to happen.

Angry, Catalina, and Rapunzel all hopped on Max, Eugene holding the stallion's reigns to guide them through the sparse forest. Lance walked alongside him, carrying Varian's limp figure in his large arms. There was a very unsettling silence resting upon the group, which might've been different if the young alchemist was still breathing. Even though they'd all shared their moment last night, it didn't mean mourning was off-limits. But once all of this was dealt with, they'd move forward---not on---like Varian would want. 

They just wished Varian were alive so they didn't have to witness what was coming in just a few short hours.

Rapunzel sighed, gaze hardly leaving the young boy. Her finger twiddled with a small string of her hair, and she couldn't help but silently scorn her long locks. If it still held it's magical healing properties, Varian wouldn't be away from her reach right now. Maybe Cassandra would even be here right now, if she could've healed her burned hand. If Cassandra's hand had been healed, maybe things would've been different between them. Sure, that wasn't really the main problem that stood between them, but it was a reminding object of it. 

And if Cassandra were still here, Varian wouldn't have been kidnapped. He wouldn't have fallen from the black rock tower, which wouldn't had even existed. She wasn't placing the blame on the alchemist, of course. She still didn't know what Cassandra had done to get him to give her the third incantation; but based on a lot of factors (the cage and Varian's clear fear, for example), he clearly hadn't been willing.

And at this point, Rapunzel knew she had to admit it. As much as she absolutely hated the thought, she couldn't get it out of her mind since leaving the tower. But the way Cassandra had acted towards her and her friends---people who actually used to be _her_ friends too---lead Rapunzel to a difficult conclusion. 

She wasn't Cassandra anymore.

Cassandra wouldn't have betrayed Rapunzel so harshly. Cassandra wouldn't have run away for _months,_ and return with a large grudge on the princess and her kingdom. Cassandra wouldn't kidnap anyone, or force them to give her what she wanted, violently or not. Cassandra wouldn't attack her best friend, or threaten the people she cared about. She wouldn't kill anyone.

The lost thought made Rapunzel wince. 

Cassandra didn't kill Varian. If anything, she herself did. But she'd already put enough blame on herself for now. Besides, they were here.

The small village had come into view from behind the sad greenery. The clouds made the place look almost as depressing as when the black rocks had inhabited it. There were few people out on the streets today, at least from what Rapunzel could tell. It almost looked abandoned. In all honesty, Rapunzel half hoped that it was. 

As the group reached the edge of the trees, they all stopped. Everyone looked at each other hesitantly, sharing the same expressions. 

They all took deep breaths, before walking into the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have to ask a quick question before I start writing the next chapter.
> 
> I originally planned this to be a few chapters, and not necessarily rewrite the rest of the season. But after receiving a lot of sweet comments and getting ideas, I wanted to see if you guys would like this continued?
> 
> Like, I'd write up to where everyone defeats Zhan Tiri, and whatnot, which I hadn't planned on. But I need your guys' opinions first. 
> 
> Please comment what you guys think!


	5. If I Die Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian is brought back to Quirin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning for one F bomb in here. Normally I don't swear that far (I don't usually write/say the F word or Oh my g-), but it was the only word that really fit with the sentence, so I put it in. 
> 
> If you don't like that stuff, I promise it'll only appear once!
> 
> Also, I started this off with Quirin's POV, which I'm actually quite proud of. He was pretty interesting to write, ngl. 
> 
> So, without further adieu, I hope you enjoy this not-so-happy chapter!

Quirin was a usually calm man, and everyone knew that. 

It's why most people could warm up to him not long after meeting him. He was like a bear, though a less predatory one. It's actually what people often referred to him as; he had some bear-like qualities, which mostly wasn't a bad thing. 

He was fairly large---about the size of your average brown bear, though not as hairy. His strength was non-surprisingly grand, considering he's a pumpkin farmer, as well as a retired warrior (though most people don't actually know the second part). And perhaps the most notable comparison, being his protectiveness over his child. As long as you weren't too dangerously close to his offspring, or didn't make any large threats towards it, you were generally safe. But if you were to do either of those things, or even worse, then you'd be in a grave in less than a few minutes. That was exactly how Quirin was for his son.

No matter who, or what the threat was, he'd attack if they at all threatened the safety of Varian. Even if it meant committing treason, he would do anything to keep the young teen out of harm's way. And that's why when he'd heard of all his son had done after getting free from his amber prison, his anger wasn't completely directed at him. 

Sure, he was a bit upset that his son did.....those things. Every parent would be at least a little. But he would never disown or exile Varian out of his home. In fact, all of it actually brought the two closer together. And even though he'd be forever grateful for that effect, he wasn't so happy at the things his sixteen-year old had gone through for it to happen. 

As said before, his anger wasn't fully directed at the young alchemist. It was mostly towards the king---a man who Quirin had never fully respected, though that'd never be said out loud. Even though Fredrick was the king and ruler of their monarchy, he wasn't a very great one. Ever since the night he'd chosen his family over his entire kingdom, Quirin had formed a very strong, and not-so-kind opinion about him. And as much as the two could agree that their families mattered deeply to them, Quirin wouldn't ever put the safety of even his son, over hundreds of others. And that was exactly what Fredrick had done. 

The village leader's disliking for the other man had grown into something even larger than hatred, once he'd been told what happened to Varian over the year. The fact that he would keep a fourteen-year old guarded inside his own home for months, was something Quirin would never forget. Varian had been alone for months, with nothing but a raccoon, and what could've been a rotting corpse for company. The alchemist had even admitted to being attacked by them more than once, causing a scar to form on his right shoulder. It had taken everything in him to keep from going straight to the palace with a pitchfork. 

And that wasn't even the only issue. Varian had been abandoned by someone he had considered a friend. The _princess,_ for heaven's sake. Thrown out into a murderous snow storm, which could've easily killed him, hadn't adrenaline been there to aid him. The young woman hadn't even gone to check on the boy after the whole problem, and instead went about her usual happy-go-lucky life. And of course, Fredrick had backed her up, which wasn't at all a surprise. There would probably never be a day where Fredrick chose his subjects over his family, and that made Quirin's blood run ever colder.

Then, of course, was one last disgusting thing. Even though Varian had done a lot of horrible things---like commit treason, kidnapping the queen, etc.---he was still a kid at the end of the day. He was a scared, upset, confused child that had reached the end of his breaking point. He'd tried everything he could, but in the end had to resort to different means of actions. This lead the king to locking Varian in prison. Locking Quirin's _son_ in prison. 

What had made it worse, was that he'd locked him up---knowingly, mind you---with a decade older, terrorist. Who knows what that man could've done to Varian, and Quirin was all the more thankful that it hadn't been an abusive man (not physically, at least). For months, Varian spent his days in a cold, stone cell with dangerous criminals. The poor kid had gone through a lot down there, though Varian refused to describe any of his treatment, besides Andrew's manipulation. 

All of these facts lead to one person: King Fredrick. 

All of them routed to that bastard of a ruler. And even though Fredrick would always act like they were "old friends", Quirin would most definitely not be acting as kind towards him during his Capital visits. 

So all of this, of course, lead directly back to the first thing; that he was usually very calm. 

But after all of this, he'd began to get more protective of his son. Whomever gave Varian dirty looks, or glares, gained a threateningly menace one in return. If anyone tried to make any physical threats, Quirin would make them back. So no matter how big, powerful, or dangerous something was, he'd fight if it threatened Varian. Always. And that included the moonstone.

That was exactly what had brought him to this moment; pulling out the chest containing his entire past.

When he'd heard of Varian's kidnapping, he had been in the village, getting more tools for the fields. He kept hearing whispers around him, and noticed the---pitying?---looks the townspeople gave him. At first he ignored them, trying to move about his day. But as the day had progressed, he started to get more irritated by the never-ending stares and whispers, until he finally had it. 

When he'd stopped at one of the bakery shops and heard the whispers behind him, he couldn't take them anymore. Spinning around, he slammed his fist on the counter angrily, completely ceasing the breaths of the seven people behind him. But he didn't care. 

"What is it?" he demanded, voice much more deeper than usual. One of the woman, who was almost a quarter of his size, poked her head out of the group with a surprised look on her small face. "You don't know?" she asked, eyes widened. Murmurs started up from the stunned silence, only provoking the flame in front of them. 

"Know what?" Quirin questioned, arching a suspicious brow. 

The small crowd shared worried glances, before turning back to their leader. 

"Quirin, Varian's been kidnapped."

And now, here he was; opening the chest that held the bane of his existence. The large man sighed at the sight of his old armor, rusting from the many long years of being kept hidden away from the world. He'd promised to show Varian once everything with the moonstone had been dealt with. But he didn't have a choice now.

His son was in danger, and the moonstone woman had chosen the _wrong_ father to mess with.

He first pulled out his grey helmet, which wasn't as shiny as it once was. He could faintly see his own reflection in the piece, and the eyes of an angered man. An angry man. An angry soldier. 

Quirin's thumb brushed over the brotherhood symbol on it, and once again sighed as he put it to the side for the time being. The next thing he pulled out was his sword; covered with a warn out leather blanket. He unwrapped it, staring at the sheathed weapon in almost a trance, before placing it by his helmet. 

One by one, he continued taking his set out of the chest until it was completely empty of anything, aside from a small envelope with the words ' _To my son, Varian'_ written on its front. Quirin forced himself to look away from the abandoned paper, shutting the chest to hide it away again. He also forced his mind to not linger on the memories hidden behind the unopened envelope, promising himself that he'd give it to Varian in due time. This was not that time. 

Quirin grabbed the entire pile of metal pieces in his arms, stood up, and walked over to his bed. He dropped the armor onto the bed, dusting himself off as he prepared to strap the first piece on. But before he could, the sound of some kind of commotion outside stopped him. Curious, he went over to his bedroom window to see what was going on. 

Many people stood in the streets, mostly in front of their doors, pointing and gesturing towards something hidden by the crowd. His eyes narrowed, mind traveling to the many possibilities of what they could be---gasping?---about. It was possible it was a gang of thieves, in which case Quirin could easily overpower (he'd done it plenty of times). But that wouldn't make mush sense, given the townspeople's reactions. It could also be the king coming to talk with the village leader, but Quirin would've received a letter at least a week prior to such visit. 

So what could it possibly be?

That's when he finally saw it---or rather _them._ The white royal-guard stallion, which three figures rode upon, as well as two larger figures walking alongside. He recognized the princess' boyfriend quickly, as well as his larger friend, who seemed to be carrying something in his arms; but it wasn't able to be seen from his vantage point. Then he also recognized the princess herself, her long hair not tied up in its usual braid, and instead piled in her small arms. He also saw the two young ex-thieves sitting behind her on the horse's back. 

He'd grown quite fond of the two girls, having had them stay over a couple of times overnight. They reminded him of Varian, in a strange way, though neither held the teenage boy's abnormal intelligence. But they were both pretty friendly, as well as pretty sassy and sarcastic. They also happened to be close to his son, which relieved the aging man largely, since Varian had never actually had any friends around his age. To make it short, they were almost family to him. 

But that wasn't any of what was racing through Quirin's mind once he recognized the princess. 

He wasted no time in running downstairs, armor forgotten, and racing for the front door. He had heard of the group's journey to get Varian back among the other whispers, making him somewhat reassured. If they were back already, no doubt Varian was with them.

He made it to the front of the house in record time, and pulled open the door.

(---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Eugene turned his gaze to the ground as the group started to approach the large manor. _Varian's_ manor.

The very thought of the boy made Eugene's heart slow profusely, and his breath hitch ever so slightly. 

_You could've saved him._ The small voice in his head echoed, mocking him with its words. He hated thinking badly about himself or others, considering he always wore an egocentric mask while among other people----save for Rapunzel, mostly. But this time...nothing could cover up the amount of pain and guilt in his gut. Nothing could hide the feeling of guilt and culpability, or the anger that he held for himself. He couldn't get rid of the awful little voice echoing the same words over and over in his mind. The words and emotions filled him up like a wine glass. 

_You were so close._

_You should've caught him._

_He trusted you._

_You promised everything would be okay._

_You promised._

He visibly cringed at the last two phrases, though nobody around him seemed to notice, too focused on getting to their destination as slow as possible. It disappeared as quickly as it came. The former thief found it hard to get the words out of his head, however, repeating like the fading bangs of a drum---only these didn't go away. _You promised. You promised. You promised._ _The kid is dead because of you. He lost his life because you couldn't save him. His potential was thrown away because you couldn't reach him. Team Awesome is completely destroyed._

The man bit his lip hard, trying to block the voice with physical pain. But it didn't work. 

Not so far down inside, he agreed. As much as he wanted to disagree with the voice in his head, he couldn't. He had to agree that it was his fault Varian was gone. He had to agree that the amazing life he could've had ahead of him disappeared, all because his fingers missed his by less than an inch. Team Awesome could've grown greater. They could've bonded more than they had, and become brothers to each other. But he ruined that.

He ruined a future relationship with him. 

Though he didn't bond very well with the young alchemist at first, he'd started getting close with him over the past few weeks, namely after the red rock incident. It had been, of course, because of Rapunzel. Two years prior to the teenager's reforming, he'd hurt Rapunzel. He'd hurt a lot of people he cared about, which grew into a bubble of hatred, that seemingly couldn't pop. But then he realized how much the kid was actually trying to fix his life up. He saw how hard he was trying to regain everybody's trust, and failing in many accounts. His anger-bubble somehow popped, and he realized that he could see _himself_ in Varian. 

But it was too late. He'd noticed too late, and because of that he wasn't able to form any semblance of a brotherly bond with him. Instead, to repay for everything Varian was doing to fix his mess----including saving his girlfriend----he killed him. _Eugene killed Varian._ Nobody would ever convince him otherwise; not even Rapunzel. 

Eugene sighed quietly as they finally reached the front steps of the manor. To the man's pain, the door immediately opened as they did. 

He forced his eyes back up to meet the large man in the doorway. He winced at the look of relief spread on his face, knowing it wouldn't last long. To make everything awfully ironically, the grey skies above started to finally spill. Though the drops came in small numbers, they were still there. They were there to mock the group of their loss. They were there to tell Eugene how much he fucked up. 

When Quirin's eyes landed on Rapunzel, her lover could feel her tense, and the feeling flowed roughly into him as well. 

He felt Lance, who'd been beside him this whole time, leave his side, walking slowly forward. Eugene swallowed hard at the dark anticipation creeping in his skin. The voice in his mind had stopped for the time being, also filled with curiosity for what was to happen in the following minute. He hated that part of him---he knew full well what would happen, though he also held a sliver of hope that Varian would jump out of Lance's arms and run to his father. 

That's not what happened. 

Lance had made it half way up the steps, before stopping. Eugene could see the silent scene well from his angle, and he hated it. He saw the mix of slow tears and raindrops on his best friend's face, and his slightly shaking body, though it wasn't from the chill air. Eugene had to bite back his own tears, especially at Quirin visibly freezing in shock. The man's face was everything; the widened eyes, the pale face, and his completely stiff frame made everything in the world slow. It felt worse than anything Eugene had ever felt, and he'd even _died_ before, so that told you something. 

He suddenly noticed Rapunzel starting up the steps. She'd climbed off Maximus, leaving the girls hugging each other as the rain grew slowly stronger. Eugene sighed, and started walking up after Rapunzel. 

As he reached her, he heard her sniffle, "I'm so sorry." 

He stopped next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. His eye met Quirin's, which were filled with shock, confusion, anger, and something that seemed like denial. Eugene couldn't blame him. He gave the other man as sympathetic a look as he could, but it was hard over the wetness starting to form in his eyes. _Damn it Eugene, don't cry now!_

He turned away quickly, looking at Lance, who moved his hands forward. Varian's frail form moved limply, he colorless arm hanging under him. Quirin stared at him, eyes starting the shine like diamonds. The large man's arms reached out, but didn't grab the boy. He could only let his hand hover over him, shakily. One of his hands moved to brush Varian's bangs away, revealing a lifeless face. His eyes were closed, something Eugene had done as a show of respect. The large palm cupped the alchemist's cheek, thumb rubbing it gently. And that's when it happened. 

Eugene could practically see the moment the father of the dead child break. The man's eyes finally released their storm, and the color completely left them; faded into a deep pit of darkness and pain. His knees gave way underneath him, and he grabbed the unmoving teenager as he fell to his knees, onto the wet stone below him. Eugene forced his eyes closed at the sound of the man's shaky cries, fists clenching tightly. 

He felt Rapunzel fall next to him, and heard her start to sob again. It was his least favorite sound. The sound of his lover's breath breaking, and the release of wordless gasps and cries. He'd heard it countless times, and he never got used to it. He'd heard it first when he was stabbed in the tower; and it was the last thing he heard when he'd died. It was also the first thing he heard when he'd been revived, though it hadn't bee for more than a few seconds. The next time he heard it, they'd been in the castle for the first night. The princess had snook to his room, and they cuddled together as she cried over the memories and terrors that had past. 

He also heard her cry almost every night since for months, keeping her company after she'd wake from nightmares and horrible dreams, varying from Gothel to his death. He was always there to comfort her, and eventually they occurred less and less. He was grateful for it. Not because he didn't like holding her in his arms (that was actually what he liked about their nights), but because he didn't have to hear her heartbroken sobs. It meant she was sad and hurt, and like any boyfriend, he didn't want that for her. He wanted her to always be happy, and he wanted to be there to enjoy that joy with her. But when she cried...it was like that dream would disappear.

It didn't help that she started crying more often after the whole Varian fiasco (probably not a good example at the moment). After what had happened, she started having more nightmares about what she could've done better. Even on their trip she couldn't hide it from her boyfriend. 

And then, of course, Cassandra happened. 

But now wasn't the time to think of her, it was once again time to comfort his girlfriend, even if he couldn't comfort himself. He forced his eyes opened, immediately wincing at what he saw. Quirin sobbed on the steps, on his knees, clutching his unbreathing son to his chest like he was a lifeline. Rapunzel was on her knees beside Eugene, head in her hands, and gripping her hair. Lance stood to the side, looking away from all of them, and rubbing his arms in a weak attempt to warm up. The rain had increased, splashing on every surface it touched. The cool air brushed against the former thief's skin, though he hardly noticed over the sound of crying. 

He crouched down next to Rapunzel, and pulled her into a hug. He forced tears back, knowing it wasn't his time to mourn. Later he would cry. Later he'd lie down in bed, and sob until sleep overtook him. Later he'd let the voice smack him in the face. Later he'd hate himself. 

Right now, he had to be strong. 

The former thief held onto his girlfriend tightly, feeling her tears staining another wet spot into his shirt. But he didn't care. If anything, it made him hold her more. 

But she moved out of his arms at the sound of gasps. Eugene heard them too, immediately turning around to see what was going on. 

The people were staring at something coming down the street, walking back to get out of its (or their) way, the look of panic and fear drawn upon their faces. Angry and Catalina screamed, jumping off of Max to hide behind Lance, who looked as confused as Eugene felt. Rapunzel walked forward, squinting at the form beggining to appear within the blanket of the crowd. That's when Eugene realized it, and he gasped. 

It was Cassandra. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've decided to try and write the rest of the season!
> 
> I still need to figure out some details, and fix up the tags, but it'll happen. I also have other projects I'm working on, as well as failing all of my classes because of....um, stuff....  
> So I don't exactly know how often I'll post...
> 
> I'll keep you guys posted tho, so don't worry!
> 
> Have a better day than me!!!


	6. Flower, Gleam And Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra and Rapunzel bring Varian back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I need to say thank you to everyone for the support on this, and my other stories! I've just been in a better mood lately because of them, and depression really doesn't help things :/
> 
> Thanks guys, I appreciate the kudos and comments!
> 
> Anyways, passing the sentiment, let's get to what we've all been waiting for, shall we?

_"Let me show you."_

_Cassandra reluctantly followed her "friend", eyeing the broken piece of the moonstone both warily and wantingly. Even if this thing could bring Varian back---which she was yet to know how---it would mean giving up a piece of her own power. It would mean giving up a piece of her destiny, her dream._

_Besides, it wasn't like the thing could heal like the sun drop used to. Unlike its counterpart, this one had the power of destruction and chaos. Of course, it concerned Cassandra somewhat; after all, she had seen and felt its main incantation first hand (pun unintended), and she knew how dangerous it was. But Cassandra wasn't naive, nor was she stupid or dimwitted. As long as she could understand its danger, she could control it. If she could control it, it was useful._

_And if it was useful, it played an important part in her destiny._

_Cassandra let her thoughts run as she followed the girl down the steps of the tower, and down a few hallways. She was so lost in thought, she hadn't even realized where they were going, until they stopped at the exact ledge Varian had died on._

_The moonstone wielder winced at the drying blood where the boy's head had been, and then looked back at her companion._

_"What are we doing here?" she asked. The girl didn't reply, holding the moonstone splinter up in the air as she walked onto the ledge. If Cassandra was being completely honest, she was tempted to force the rock back inside so that the short woman would fall. But she wasn't that cruel. Her eyes caught the girl's, which narrowed like she could read her thoughts, before turning away again._

_"Come now, Cassandra. Let me show you what I mean."_

_Hesitant, Cassandra did as the girl said, and followed her onto the smooth platform. They stopped in front of the blood, her "friend" giving her space to stand next to her. Cassandra noticed the glint in the red liquid, almost a tint of....cyan? That had to be the black rock under it, though she noticed it wasn't glowing. That made sense; they only glowed it she controlled them. But then what was that tint she just saw?_

_"Take it." the girl spoke, reaching the cyan sliver out to her. Cassandra took it, giving the violet-eyes girl a questioning look._

_"Crouch next to the blood."_

_Cassandra did so, still cautious._

_"Hover it above the blood."_

_Even more confused, she did so. As she lifted it to sit above the crimson liquid, she once again spotted a bit of blue in it. She didn't say anything, her curiosity over what her "friend" was ordering her to do overtaking the other curious thoughts. The girl kneeled beside her on the platform, putting a hand on her rock-covered arm. The girl's presence wasn't very comforting to the other female, though. Honestly, it actually felt kind of spine tingling. Cassandra wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that aura around her._

_"You're doing well. Now, sing the healing incantation."_

_This completely caught the cyan-haired off guard. "What?"_

_The girl sighed in annoyance. "I said, sing the healing incantation."_

_Cassandra thought about it a moment, before deciding to give in. She was still suspicious over the command, though also kind of interested in what would happen when the moonstone used its counterpart's chant. She'd seen what the sun drop could do, and it produced darkness. Could her celestial stone produce light? She was about to find out._

_Clearing her throat, she began:_

_**Flower, gleam and glow** _

_**Let your power shine** _

_**Make the clock reverse** _

_**Bring Back what once was mine.** _

_The reaction worked almost instantly, the moonstone sliver suddenly lighting up like a white lantern. It lit a bright light, the blue almost completely disappearing from it. When Cassandra looked down, she noticed the moonstone doing the exact same thing. She continued._

**_Heal what has been hurt_ **

**_Change the fate's design_ **

**_Save what has been lost_ **

**_Bring back what once was mine..._ **

_Cassandra gasped, as the blood at her feet started changing color. The crimson red started to glow a soft cyan color, just like the moonstone and her hair. It wasn't very bright, nor did it have the same amount of the blue color---but it definitely held a new color. How was that possible?_

_**What once was mine.** _

_As she finished the song, the moonstone and sliver turned back to normal. The glowing blue in the blood faded away, taking the dried liquid with it. The blood was gone._

_Cassandra's eyes were widened, transfixed on the piece of moonstone in between her fingers. It had controlled the blood, **Varian's** blood at that. And then it made it just...disappear. It was like it just healed it. How?_

_As if reading her mind, the girl cleared her throat, bringing Cass's attention back to her._

_"As you can see, the moonstone isn't just connected to you."_

(-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

"Cass?"

Rapunzel was the first to react, brushing away the tears as she stood back up. Eugene followed her to his own feet, putting his hand on his sheathed sword's hilt. The cyan-haired woman now stood a few feet away from the steps of the house, people huddled behind her in a large group out a fright. Maximus stood guard in front of the steps, huffing a warning to the moonstone wielder to stay back. 

"I'm not here to fight." Cassandra claimed, putting her hands in the air innocently. Though she was far from that now, and Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was convinced. Even though her former best friend's hands weren't near the sword on her back, she still felt an anxious knot in the pit of her gut. Or maybe it was just sore from all the crying.

Eugene was the first to reply, putting a hand out in front of his girlfriend protectively. 

"What? Here to throw someone else off a tower?" 

Rapunzel gasped, and she saw Cassandra wince. Maybe she was telling the truth...

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, Fitzherbert." Cassandra said, her fists clenching. Rapunzel looked at Cassandra, _really_ looked at her. Her face was pale, though she'd noticed that long ago. But it seemed...paler; if that was even possible. It looked as if the power had been drained out of her, her darker-than-their-newly-usual-light-blue eyes supporting the thought. And did her posture seem weaker? 

Rapunzel also noticed the look in her slightly darkened eyes. It was the look of remorse, solid and true remorse. Not only that, but it also showed a strange kind of honesty; and honesty that seemed to be forced and regretful. 

She was telling the truth. 

"Look, Max." Cassandra sighed, eyes trained on the white stallion. "I don't want to hurt you, trust me. But you have to get out of the way, or I might have to."

The horse huffed in response, clearly not going anywhere. That's when Rapunzel shouted. 

"Wait! She's telling the truth!" 

Everyone turned their attention to the princess, who'd moved in front of Eugene's protective arm. She had her hands raised, one flat, the other pointing to where the horse and short-haired woman stood. She took a few huffs of air, before nodding to Max. "Let her through." she commanded. The stallion looked surprised, gesturing with his head back to Cassandra. Rapunzel nodded, and the horse sighed a huff, before stepping out of the way. 

Rapunzel started down the stairs, before something caught her arm. She looked behind her to see Eugene clutching it, giving her an are-you-sure-it's-a-good-idea-to-confront-your-murderous-best-friend look. The blonde reassured him with a pat to his elbow, and his hand temporarily weakened at the touch. This gave her enough time to pull away, before continuing down the stone steps. 

She stopped at the bottom, just a few feet away from her former handmaiden. The woman kept her eyes locked with hers, and Rapunzel felt as if they were staring into her soul. Forcing back a shiver, she took a shallow breath. "What do you want?"

She didn't mean for it to sound so sharp and strident, but she didn't completely regret it. As much as she wanted to--- _wished_ to---be able to let her guard down around Cass, she just couldn't. She couldn't act like things were okay or friendly between them, because things clearly weren't. Only yesterday they were battling each other to almost the death. Only yesterday Cassandra was threatening her boyfriend's life, and holding Varian in a cage. And it was also only yesterday, that Varian had fallen from the tower because of the celestial elements clashing together. As much as Rapunzel didn't like admitting it....Cassandra was part of the reason the teenager wasn't with them. No, she was **most** of the reason. 

The princess didn't miss how the woman slightly flinched at her tone, but again, she couldn't find the part of her that cared. Cassandra sighed, taking a bold step forward. Rapunzel couldn't help but instinctively reach to grab a piece of her loose hair, taking a cautious step back. She could here the sound of a slightly unsheathed sword, and the sound of a gruff huff. She hadn't been the only one, then. 

When Cassandra saw this, she stepped back again. Then, to Rapunzel's suspicion, reached back. Her grip tightened on her hair as Cassandra pulled out her black rock sword. She could hear Eugene starting to come hesitantly closer, preparing for a fight. 

But the cyan-hair surprised her by suddenly tossing the unbreakable weapon across the front grounds of the manor, landing several yards away in shrubbery. Rapunzel dropped the hair, and Eugene stepped away again. 

"Look, Raps- _Rapunzel..."_ the princess bit back a hurt swallow at the name correction, but she kept her nervous and prepared stance. "I know that yesterday was...um..." she looked up the steps, and Rapunzel turned to see Qurin now standing up, his son still held tight in his arms. To say the man looked unpleased with the presence of the woman who practically murdered his offspring would be a deep, deep, deep understatement. 

When Rapunzel looked back to Cassandra, she saw it again; the look of pure remorse in her blue globes. She felt a little shocked at how much greater it'd grown just by looking at the reason for the emotion, but she also understood it. Perhaps Cass wasn't lost after all...

"But I think I can fix it." Cassandra continued, making Rapunzel raise an eyebrow in curiosity. How could she fix what happened? Varian was gone, her hair didn't heal anymore, and there was no power left in the flower (which was now destroyed anyways). Did she really think there was a way to fix things? 

Cassandra seemed to notice these thoughts in her expression, and bit her lip. "I think I have a way to bring him back." 

There were gasps befalling the entire crowd still behind her, and even a few in the group behind Rapunzel. Those words were the cause, and Rapunzel couldn't help but release her own short catch of breath. When the silence returned, Rapunzel found the breath to reply. "How?" she breathed.

Cass instantly answered with a reach of her hand, unfolding her fingers from her palm to reveal a small splinter of glowing blue light. It looked a lot like the-

Rapunzel's thoughts were cut off by a sudden spark coming from Cassandra's chest. It flickered brightly, sending out bits of cyan lightening. Rapunzel's eyes widened when she realized they came from the moonstone, which was missing a piece the exact same size as the sliver in the wielder's hand. How did that happen, and how did she think it could revive Varian?

Cassandra cleared her throat, wincing, though it was so slight that Rapunzel almost missed it. Was she in...pain from the sparks? She was interrupted by Cassandra speaking again. 

"The moonstone is connected to Varian. Rapunzel, if both of us-" 

"Bullshit." 

Everyone turned to look at Quirin, who had just sworn. Lance tried covering Kiera and Catalina's ears, though was too late. The girls swatted away his hands, watching the large man like everyone else. "There is no possible way that my _son_ is connected to that dangerous rock. You just want to kill someone else, don't you? You're trying to hurt us all further by giving us fault hope, just to pull it away and kill another-" 

"That's enough, Quirin." Rapunzel interrupted, hand raised. Her voice was stern, but also not unkind. Just...strict sounding. This seemed to surprise the farmer, who instantly quieted. He seemed quite taken aback by the words---like they weren't words usually aimed at him, but he'd heard it many times. Cass had shrunken back a bit at the angry, gruff words, the sparks of electricity stopping momentarily. 

Rapunzel looked back to Cass. "Explain."

Cassandra grew back a bit, trying to regain her strong composure (failing badly). 

"I don't exactly know everything, but I think it has to do with what happened twenty-six years ago at the Dark Kingdom. When the king tried to destroy it, a small amount of its power somehow merged into Quirin's body. And when he had Varian, that power passed onto him. Again, I don't exactly understand or know much of the details, but I believe Varian's connection to the moonstone could save him. You have to give it a chance, Raps, please." 

The words sunk their way into Rapunzel, so much so she didn't even notice that Cassandra'd called her by her nickname again. It made sense...if any bit of the power of the opal _had_ made its way into Quirin and had been passed down to Varian, who says the opal couldn't save itself? And then a sudden epiphany came to her. 

"Wait, are you saying that while the sun drop heals others, the moonstone heals itself?" 

Cass nodded.

"So, if Varian _does_ have some of its energy, it would bring him back to life because it can do so?"

The question was more like a statement, but again, the woman nodded. It made so much sense. But one problem was, "How can it heal him?"

"And what about proof?" Eugene suddenly added. It was clear he still didn't trust the moonstone wielder, which he couldn't be faulted for by any means. Plus, he did have a point. How could they know it wouldn't hurt Varian if he didn't have any moonstone power in him?

Cassandra considered it, before grinning slightly. "Quirin, how long has he had that hairstripe?"

Rapunzel's eyes widened at what she was referring to, and she turned back to face Quirin. He arched a brow at the question, looking down to said detail in his son's raven-hair before sighing. "As long as I can remember." he answered. "But that could mean anything; it could just be a birthmark, or something passed down from a distant relative." 

Cassandra scoffed, getting annoyed. "Then let's find out."

Quirin shook his head, standing defiantly. "I will not let you hurt his body any more than you already have, _Witch._ " Everyone gasped. Rapunzel covered her mouth, eyes practically popping out of their sockets. She was about to yell for Quirin to just let them try---try and bring his child back to him---but Eugene was the first to react. He put a hand on the village leader's shoulder, and the two shared an awkwardly quiet battle of looks and silent words. 

Finally, after what felt like centuries, the two turned back to the women. Quirin relented, not looking to anyone as he made his way down towards them. Eugene and the other three followed, Max staying in the side lines. When the did make it down, Quirin gently placed the small body down on the ground, which was starting to dampen from the rain, which had picked up slightly. After doing so, he stepped back, eyes narrowed Cassandra's direction. 

Cassandra and Rapunzel shared a look of temporary truce, before both of them took places on either side of Varian's corpse. 

"So, um...how-how does it work?"

Cassandra thought a moment, before pulling the moonstone piece out again. The two jumped as it suddenly started to glow brighter, matching the now glowing-cyan stripe in the midst of the teenager's messy black hair. A few gasps and murmurs filled the air, and that's when Rapunzel suddenly noticed the crowd starting to get closer in curiosity. 

Then, out of nowhere, house sized black rocks shot out of the ground, creating a giant wall between them and the crowd. A few screams echoed behind it, but the wall-builder paid them no mind. The others, however, looked horrified. When she noticed their looks, she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Damn, guys, I didn't kill anybody." 

Rapunzel didn't say anything, returning her attention the the blue stripe in the boy's hair. Had he really been connected to the opal this whole time? How did she never know? Maybe if she had, she wouldn't be having to (supposedly) being him back from the dead. If this did work, the poor kid would be having nightmares for months. The thought of how he'd react to finding out about his "magic" abilities, though, made her chuckle slightly. 

How ironic; the boy who didn't believe in magic, HAD magic in his blood. 

"Alright, are you listening, Raps?" 

The princess looked up and nodded, ready for whatever instructions she was about to be given. 

"Alright, so I need you to wrap your hair around his head, since that's where he received the death blow." she ordered. Rapunzel nodded, and began to wrap a few layers around the dried wound. She made sure not to wrap the still-glowing stripe, and once finished, waited for her next step. 

"Okay, so the next part's gonna be...well, um...interesting. I'm going to keep the sliver close to the stripe, but not to close, while we both sing the healing incantation." 

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "But I already tried that. It-It didn't-" 

"Yeah, well you didn't do it with me and the stone." As if to emphasize her words, the stone flickered softly. Rapunzel nodded, focusing back to the task at hand. _Please work, Please work, Please work!_

"Okay, so on my count, we sing. Ready?" 

Rapunzel took a deep breath. "I think so." 

"Okay. Three....two..."

Rapunzel closed her eyes.

"One." 

Cassandra closed her eyes. 

"Go."

They started to sing. 

**_Flower, gleam and glow_ **

**_Let your power shine_ **

Rapunzel's hair started to glow, traveling swiftly down her locks like it used to when she had her healing powers. Only this time, it was much faster, and much brighter. It was so bright, that the surrounding group had to all block their eyes from it. 

_**Make the clock reverse** _

_**Bring back what once was mine** _

Cassandra's hair also started glowing, though instead of the sun-light brightness like Rapunzel, it glowed a bright blue. The moonstone on her chest began to spark even bigger amounts of lightening, and the sliver slowly started shaking in her grip. Varian's stripe glowed at the same intensity as Cassandra's, and even began to float in the air. 

_**Heal what has been hurt** _

_**Change the fate's design** _

Rapunzel's hair started to float in the air, along with Varian's still body. Although Cassandra's hair floated, she stayed grounded, as the other two began to hover freely in the air. They continued to chant, losing feeling of all reality and time. It was like the incantation from the tree; only this time, their eyes stayed sealed, and it wasn't dark. No, it was much, much brighter. 

**_Save what has been lost_ **

**_Bring back what once was mine..._ **

Then, the sliver in Cassandra's grip shot out, flying up towards the flying duo. It hit the floating strip of hair directly, creating a sudden blast of both blue and white light. The people below screamed at them, but they were unhearing and comprehensive at this point. The light from Varian mixed with Rapunzel's, and a sudden explosion of light (similar to the one from the tower), engulfed them.

**_What once was mine._ **

Even though both Rapunzel and Cassandra had stopped, they were still trapped in their bright trance. Rapunzel's hair fell away from Varian's head, and the girl started floating back towards the ground. Her hair started to fade, as well as Cassandra's. And when she eventually landed on the ground, both her and Cassandra fell onto their backs, unconscious. 

Varian's body stayed floating in midair, every inch of his air now glowing a bright cyan (just like Cassandra's). His body bent back, visible blue light flowing through his veins and bloodstreams. Eugene called out to both him and Rapunzel, but the only answer that came was another sudden flash of light, before everything suddenly calmed. 

Varian's body fell back to the ground between Rapunzel and Cassandra, who were still unconscious. After a few moments, Eugene didn't hesitate to rush over to his girlfriend's side. She moaned, eyes fluttering open to meet her lover's chocolate brown ones. She smiled, bringing a hand to caress his cheek as he chuckled in relief. 

"Did it work?" she asked. Eugene helped her sit up, while Cassandra had gotten to her knees. They both looked down to the limp figure between them, noticing that his raven-hair had turned into a faded mix of white and cyan. It wasn't like Cassandra's, and was oddly a good look for him. Of course, they just needed him to wake up before they could tell him that. 

And that's when she caught it. Movement. His chest was moving. And she also noticed.....he was breathing!

At that moment, his eyes fluttered open.

"Rapunzel?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HE'S BAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKkk
> 
> Also, sorry for the kinda rushed ending. I'm just so excited to get to this part!!!


	7. The Pain in The Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian makes a choice, and he doesn't regret it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, I love writing dreams, nightmares, and that stuff because it lets me get more creative and actually write better. Anyone else, lol? 
> 
> Enjoy!

Varian was floating.

Where? He had no idea. A dark, inky blackness surrounded him, making him feel oddly calm. He couldn't feel, couldn't see, and he couldn't even hear. All he could do was relax. He remembered seeing a powerful light not too long ago, at the end of a very narrow path. But when he had tried to get to it, he was pulled back by some unseeable force---some kind of invisible rope wanting to keep him from a peaceful eternal rest. The funny thing about that, though, was that either way, he was at peace. Light or darkness, it didn't matter. He felt calmer than he had in a long time. 

It was also funny that he didn't care; didn't care about where he went in his afterlife, or leaving all of his friends and family. All of that felt...unreal, almost like it hadn't happened or existed. Even though he knew it had, knew his father had been entrapped because of him, and freed because of the woman he betrayed and hurt, he just couldn't feel the care inside him. He couldn't feel _him._

Oh, he loved this feeling. No stress, no anxiety, no life-threatening adventures or snowstorms. No towers, no falls, no mistakes, no broken promises or hurt relationships. Just...nothing. 

But at the same time, it was an uncomfortable feeling. Not being able to see his father, or see any of his friends. Not being able to experiment and mess with tools, and not being able to pet Ruddiger's fluffy fur. Not being able to taste ham sandwiches he and his father made, or the disgusting taste of soot leaking into his mouth from a failed experiment. Not being able to smell fresh chemicals whiffing through his lab, or the sweet perfume Rapunzel always wore. Not being able to hear anyone talking about how smart or dangerous he was, or his father saying how proud he was of him. 

_Proud. Was his father proud of him?_

He had said it, but that was before he found out about everything his on had done. But even after that, his father had been caring and kind. Sure, he did seem a bit upset, but not as upset at him as he was at the King and Rapunzel. 

Hey, that was one good thing! He wouldn't get to see Fredrick's distasteful face, or hear his horrible orders. He wouldn't have to be chased down by disguised royal guards ever again, or get locked in a dark and cold cell with a crazy terrorist. He also wouldn't have to endure all the fear and pain that had been felt down in those scary halls, where the guards would take turns teasing him and hurting him in some small, but still painful way. If he was being honest, he had no doubt Fredrick had allowed that behavior. And that was exactly why he wouldn't miss him. 

No, he wouldn't miss him here, in this calmingly dark space. In this dark, cold (why was it cold all of a sudden, he hadn't felt this before?), empty blackness. 

Oh, no. _Oh, no._

It suddenly felt familiar, something he had just been glad to escape. It felt the exact same way as the prison cell he was thrown into a year ago, only there were no bars or walls or floors, no Andrew or Ruddiger or anything. All it was was a pitch black, cold and lonely void. He was all alone again...he didn't have Rapunzel, or Eugene, or Lance or the girls. He didn't have _anyone._

No, no, no, no! He needed to get away from here! It wasn't peaceful anymore, and it certainly wasn't calming. He felt himself try to reach out to anything in the darkness, throwing his hands around desperately. But there was nothing, nothing but the anxious feeling of his body parts swinging about in the dark air. Wait, there was no air. _No air._ Oh, Sun, he suddenly couldn't breath! Nothing exited or entered his lungs, which were starting to suddenly sting. No sounds escaped his choking form; no scream, no cry, no nothing. It was like all those feelings of nothingness had become a torture device, giving him karma for all the things he had done before this point. The afterlife was giving him payback for being a selfish, murderous, dangerous disappointment. 

_"Help!"_ he wanted to cry out, but nothing came out. Instead, something entered. Something that wasn't air. 

The horrific feeling of water filling his lungs made his body panic more, thrashing around as the once-air became a large, black ocean of invisible waves. Of angry, torturing waves. The watery sensation clogged his senses and hugged his body uncomfortingly. Instead of being a comfortable, caring hug, it was a life-ceasing, evil embrace that aimed to break him into millions of pieces. 

He thrashed around in this dark ocean for what felt like years, unable to just _die._ But he knew he wouldn't drown, because he was already dead. He had already gone through and wasted his precious existence, and was now being punished for it. Just like in prison, where he was cut, punched, kicked, and scratched. Where he had gone through something very similar to this, only with just his head being forced into ice-cold water. Now the afterlife was using a bigger bucket, and a full force of his whole body. It was now dunking his whole body under the water, and not bringing him back up. 

_Please, please, give me back the light!_ He begged wordlessly, falling deeper and deeper under the agony-filled sea. 

As if on cue, the water suddenly disappeared as fast as it had come. In it's place was absolutely nothing, which meant nothing was keeping him afloat. Which meant he was now falling. Falling through nothing, falling from nothing, falling to nothing. The darkness continued to surround him as he continued falling through pitch black, unknowing of when the abrupt landing would happen. 

He fell, fell like he always did. Fell like he almost had off the airship, and when he'd been in the tunnels with Rapunzel. Fell like when he'd gone back down to the tunnels with Rapunzel to get rid of the black rocks. Fell like he had off Cassandra's black rock tower, only to had not survived that time. Only to have ended up here, in this scary, unpredictable dark torture chamber. 

He tried to close his eyes, but found he just couldn't. He couldn't move any pert of him freely, besides his arms and legs. It was like the rest of him was frozen in midair, held still by the same power that was pushing him farther and farther down into the darkness. He was almost completely numb. And he was scared of it. 

Suddenly, his falling stopped. He hit an invisible surface as fast as he had when he fell from the tower, but he wasn't greeted by unconsciousness or pain. He actually didn't feel anything from the rough landing. 

Then the feeling came back into his body, where he could move his neck, head, and mid-section. Once he felt this, he immediately scrambled to his feet on the dark flooring beneath him. The same black space still surrounded him, though there wasn't any water or air making him hover. It was just the ground, and nothing else. Unable to help himself, Varian called, "Hello? Anybody?"

His voice echoed throughout the darkness like he was in a cavern, bouncing right back to him and making his ear ring. He shook the feeling off, blinking heavily. There was no answer to his call except silence. It was like the blackness was mocking him, letting him try to find hope, only for it to turn to ash as it was proven false. It was the same feeling he had had in that damned prison cell, when he'd wake up randomly in the middle of the night, thinking everything that had happened had only been a long nightmare. Then, he'd realize he was in the same cell as the many previous nights, and that hope would be stripped away from him like candy from a helpless baby. And that meant he was alone. He was alone _again._

And just like that, his feelings came back. He no longer felt any calm, peace, fear, nor emotionless terror. All of his emotions and feelings came running back at him as quick as they had left him. Tears started to spring to his eyes, and his breath began to quiver. Varian's body started to shake, the tears spilling silently down his face, and sobs wracked his frail figure. 

"P-Please...somebody help." he breathed out, falling to his knees. He curled in on himself, wishing, wanting, _craving_ for arms to wrap around him, and for a voice to say that everything would be okay. He didn't if it was Andrew and his fake sympathy, or Rapunzel, or Lance, or Eugene, or even dad. He just wanted somebody's arms to keep him safe and comforted. He just wanted to go back to them. He wanted to go home. 

As he continued crying into his little ball, a drop of light started to grow from ahead of him. He didn't notice until it became so bright that it became warm, basking his broken figure in it's brightness. He looked up, tear-stained eyes instinctively squinting at the illuminating circle ahead of him. His hand came up to cover his eyes, and he carefully and shakily got back to his feet. 

"Hello?" he shouted at the light. No answer came; it just sat a few yards ahead of him, bright and glowing against the rest of his dark surroundings. Cautiously, he took a step forward. This made the white light suddenly spark. Interested in this reaction, he took another step, and it repeated. Biting at his bottom lip, he started to carefully continue forward on the invisible path, heading straight towards the illuminating portal. 

Varian didn't know exactly what the light was, nor did he know how it had started; but he felt like he could trust it. After all, it was warm and almost comforting in the midst of the frightening darkness around him. He felt like the light would be those comforting arms that he craved for so much, and would keep him safe from any more pain and fear. Even if he never saw his friends and father again, maybe he'd still feel comfortable knowing he wouldn't be harmed by the world or even them any longer. No more emotional or physical pain, no more ruled to follow that would get him thrown back in that nasty cell if he were to break them, and no more life. Just peace and calm. And he was certain this darkness couldn't provide that, seeing as it had tricked him into believing so, before throwing him into a horrific cycle of pain and torture. 

The light, however, would provide that. And he was more than willing to walk right into it.

Just as he reached a few feet away, a sudden voice stopped him in his tracks. A sudden, _familiar_ voice. And it was coming from right behind him. 

He spun around to see a much darker, blue light. It was difficult to see over the roaming darkness it sat against, but he could tell it was there. And in the middle of that blue light, was a figure he knew all too well. 

"Rapunzel?" 

Varian knew it was her, though it didn't look like her. Her hair was darker, and cyan light flowed through her long braid. Her dress was the same blue as her hair, small traces of yellow filling a few spots. And her face...it was almost nightmarish. Her face seemed much, much more paler than usual, and the usually welcoming and cute freckles traced along her cheeks glowed the same cyan-blue as her hair and dress, making her look enchantingly creepy. But it wasn't those that made her look so frightening...it was her eyes. They weren't their normal emerald green, filled with wonder and joy. Oh, those were _gone._ In their place was dark, pupiless voids, just like the torturous darkness around them. It was horrifying. 

The girl reached her hand out, lips curled into a concerned looking frown. "Varian, please come back." she begged, a deep echo added to her voice. Varian's eyes widened, looking from her to the light he was so close to. It had gotten brighter, and it just seemed so much more welcoming. 

He took a small step towards it once more, making Rapunzel yell. "NO, WAIT!" 

Varian flinched at the familiar tone in it, sounding exactly like what she used when he'd revealed her chained up mother two years ago. He hated how terrified and frightened it sounded, and how pleading it felt. Maybe he should go that way...

He turned to face her again, this time taking a step back towards the young woman. But as he did so, he heard another voice coming from the light behind him. And this one was also familiar, and something he hadn't heard for a long time. His heart almost completely stopped at the voice, frozen in place. 

"Varian, Sweetie, come with me." 

When the teen managed the courage to turn back, he caught the sky-blue eyes of his mother, reaching a hand out for him to take. 

"M-Mom?" he almost whispered, feeling a tear trickled down his cheek. The red-head smiled a warm smile, teeth lightly showing, and her hand stretching out further for her son to take. "Honey, come back to me. I've missed you so much." she spoke, her own tear finding its way to her cheek. The light behind her made her look radiant and sparkly, and even made her look all the more warmer. If Varian went with her, he could feel her warm embraces again. She'd protect him from everything, right? Mother's always did that for their children, even deceased ones. 

He took a step towards her. 

"Varian, please! Come back home!"

Varian twirled back around to Rapunzel, who had even more tears flowing freely down her paled visage. Her hand was shaking, and Varian didn't know if it was from soreness or the silent sobs breaking out of her. And that's when Varian realized just how important this choice was. 

He either had the choice of going with Rapunzel, and back down to earth with his friends and father. Back to their fun, exciting, crazy adventures, and another chance to save Cassandra. Back to Corona, his home. Or, he could choose his mother, where he'd be forever comforted and safe from all harm. He wouldn't have to deal with any more emotions and injuries, or the fear of not surviving another day. He could stay with the woman he'd missed for so, so long. 

"Varian, come with me." Ulla urged. "Take a break." 

The alchemist turned to face her, eyes filled to the brim with tears. 

How the hell could he choose? 

"Varian, please!" Rapunzel cried to him again. "Come back to us! We need you!" 

The boy's breath hitched. She was right, they still needed him. They still needed his help in saving their friend, who was traveling down the same path he had. They still needed him to fight against whatever dark forces were heading their way. He still had a long life to live, and a destiny he was yet to fulfill. 

His story wasn't over yet. 

The tears fell harder down his face as he took a step back, away from his mom. She looked confused by this, and even a little heartbroken. Varian hated that look, but he knew what he had to do. "I'm sorry mom. I can't take a break yet." 

And with that, Varian turned and darted towards Rapunzel. Her hand was outstretched for him to take, and the closer he got, the more he raised his own palm. He painfully ignored his mother's awaiting calls, focusing his full attention on the girl that was starting to smile. The girl who he saw as one of his closest friends, and his sister. The girl who saved him from going down a dark road, and helped him get back to his feet. The girl who made up for her mistakes, and helped him make up for his. The girl who mattered the most to him. 

He grabbed her hand. 

(--------------------------------------------------------------------------)

There was a flash of blue, yellow, and white light, before it all suddenly disappeared. Varian could feel his body land on solid ground, though he didn't know where he was. He could hear voices above him, but couldn't find the strength to open his eyes. His head was sore, and his whole body felt weak and tired. It was unlike how he felt in the tower, or how he'd felt in the almost after-life. In the place he'd almost chosen to leave behind the world he knew. 

After a moment, he suddenly felt the strength to at least allow air into his lungs. His nose inhaled the delicious, _fresh_ air. Not water, not darkness, not nothing. Just pure _air._ It felt like it had been centuries since he'd taken in something so fresh and pure, and he knew he's never underestimate such a benefit ever again. How long had he been in the darkness? How long had he been unconscious? It couldn't have been very long, though it had felt that way in the scary black space. In the agony-filled darkness, that caused him unfeelable pain and fear. Oh, he was glad to be back. 

Then, after a few more quick moments, he finally felt the heaviness in his eyelids disappear. Unable to contain himself, he allowed them to flutter open to see his new surroundings. 

The sky was covered in a light blanket of grey clouds, though it wasn't raining. He was glad it wasn't completely dark, though it still wasn't very light either. Then, he caught someone's eyes. Someone's emerald green eyes. They weren't pitch black, or dark or creepy, and her hair no longer glowed the eerie black and blue crescent colors. What made him feel even better, was that the princess's face was normal as well---no glowing freckles or pale skin. 

Almost choking on air, he opened his lips to breath out, "Rapunzel?"

And that's when he saw the tears streaming down her face, and that absolutely confused him. Why was she upset? He'd only been gone for a few minutes, right? Maybe she thought he had died from the fall. 

Oh, the fall. The feeling of air forcing him down, down, down the long length of the tower. His life flashing before his eyes, Eugene screaming for him as he plummeted. And then the feeling of hitting something hard, and all of his energy and feeling leaving him. And then the darkness, the water, the loneliness and emptiness. Then ball of light, the dark portal, _Rapunzel._ And his mother...oh, damn, he saw mom! He could've gone back to her, back to her warm hugs and safe arms. But instead he chose Rapunzel, and for some reason, he barely had any regrets. 

And that meant one thing: He _had died._ Like, full on 'spirit leaving the earth' type stuff, and going to the place between life and death. 

Of course, his initial reaction should've been, "no way, this isn't real," or "Impossible." But that's not at all the first thing his mind had landed on. After all, Eugene had died too, right? But Rapunzel had brought him back to life! After everything he'd seen and done, how could the young alchemist _not_ believe such crazy events could happen? 

And did that mean Rapunzel brought him back, too? How? She didn't even possess her healing abilities anymore! 

But before he could dwell any further on what had just happened, or even how, he suddenly felt arms wrap around his fragile frame. Small, warm, and safe arms held him close, pushing him into the princess's shoulder. His eyes widened at first, still in a short daze. But then he melted into the embrace, wrapping his own around the young woman. 

He was safe, again. He was back in comforting and caring arms. He wasn't alone anymore, and he took so much comfort in knowing it. And he knew that no matter what, whether he had chosen his mother or Rapunzel, he'd be in safe and protective hands. But at the moment, he was glad he'd made _this_ choice. 

And then, he cried. He let tears fall from his eyes as more arms wrapped tightly around him, securing him in the middle of a safe circle. He cried, because he wasn't in fear, or pain, or in the dark. He was home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't care what anyone else thinks, Varian+Angst is the best ship XD


	8. Tired of being tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is tired. 
> 
> Legit, that's basically it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out a lot shorter than I thought, so sorry you had to wait two days for this, but it actually might be one of my favorites, tbh. 
> 
> Next chapter is gonna include a mix of humor, a little fluff, and a lot of anxiety and angsty shit, so get emotionally ready! It might come out pretty late, since I still have to catch up on a hell of a lot of schoolwork, so sorry. But it'll probably be worth it!
> 
> Enjoy!

She had to leave before they remembered her. She had to go. 

Sighing, Cassandra quietly stood up, gazing down at the sight before her. Everyone was holding Varian in a tight embrace, which was kinda dumb because the poor kid just came back to life, and probably needed air. But what did it matter to her, anyway? They weren't her friends anymore, she wasn't apart of their family. She shouldn't have cared about Varian's death, right? Then...why did she?

Shaking it off, she quietly started backing away from the group, heading for the shadows. As she turned to head into the forest, she heard a sudden voice call out to her. "Cassandra, wait!" 

She stopped, just an inch away from the shrubbery. This seemed vaguely familiar...

She turned,  _ again. _ Just like back in the Dark Kingdom, when she'd taken the moonstone and started running. Rapunzel had called the same words then as she did now, begging her to do something she had done her entire life. Begging her to go back to a normal life, where she would  always come second to her. But for some reason, then, she listened, and waited once more. But it had only wasted her time, because Rapunzel had straightly admitted she didn't know how she was feeling. Weren't "best friends" supposed to know that? If they were ever that close, shouldn't she had known how she'd felt? 

She didn't. The only other times she'd known, were because Cassandra had to  _ tell her.  _ Best friends shouldn't have to do that. 

So, then, if Cassandra believed Rapunzel was just going to do the exact same thing again---why did she wait? Why did she stop and turn to face her former ally and companion? Why'd she turn to face her former  _ best friend _ ? 

Her eyes met the others', and they shared a look. Cassandra didn't exactly know what the look they gave to each other was, or why Rapunzel wasn't talking this time, but she knew what the nod meant. 

Giving one last sigh, she nodded back, and sunk the large wall of black rocks that had separated the rest of the village back into the ground. This was her way of telling the blonde that that was the end of their truce, and that next time they'd meet, it would most likely be to fight. 

And with one last look, she continued into the shadows.

(--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Rapunzel watched her old friend disappear into the trees, before turning back to the group below her feet. They'd all almost completely separated, except for Catalina and Kiera still clutching to the teen's arms. They had all shed many tears, though it was hard to tell because of the continuous downfall of rain. 

Rapunzel smiled down at Varian, who only a few minutes ago had been dead, before he was lifted up into his father's large arms, and the girls were forced to let go. Quirin held tightly to his son, and turned to face the villagers. They were all looking curiously at Varian, murmuring among themselves. But Quirin ignored them, turning his attention back to the young boy. 

"Let's get you warmed up, huh?" 

The boy nodded, and Quirin brought the group inside his home, with the exception of Max being lead to the stables out front. The man set Varian down on the living room couch, wrapping a warm towel around his wet body. He went and grabbed one for everybody, and Rapunzel thanked him. Then they all sat down; Varian sitting in between his father and the girls, and Lance, Eugene, Rapunzel and Pascal on the other couch across from them. 

It was quiet, save for the sound of the rain pounding down on the roof. It wasn't the most comfortable---come on, you don't see a sixteen year old get resurrected everday---but is wasn't very awkward, either. It was just...weird. 

Varian leaned against his father's side, who wrapped an arm around the skinny kid's body. The girls also cuddled together, brushing away the last of their tears. Rapunzel smiled at the scene, memorizing it in her mind so she could paint it in her journal later. For now, all she wanted to do was relax, and enjoy the calm of the eventful afternoon. 

Which didn't last long.

"Um...s-so what, um...w-what happened?" 

Everyone looked up to see Varian sitting up, toying with his hands. Rapunzel found it hard to believe she was seeing Varian in front of her, seeing how he looked so different. But she guessed they were just side effects from the transference of the moonstone shard to him. 

It took everyone a moment to say anything, creating a very, very awkward atmosphere. Though, eventually, Angry spoke up.

"You died." the girl deadpanned, earning an elbow from her sister. "Ow, Cat-" 

"Kiera!" All the adults (except Quirin) yelled at once, making the former thief flinch slightly. Then she shrugged like the words she said weren't very traumatizing or crazy. "What? He did!" 

"You don't need to just spring it on him like that." Eugene argued. Then they all turned to see Varian's reaction, though to their surprise, seemed barely affected. He pulled away from his father, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees, and his hands played with each others' glove. His bangs hung slightly over his face, covering one of his eyes. His lips were pulled into a straight line, but it wasn't a frown. He seemed emotionless, lost in thought as his eyes stared into seemingly nothing. 

After a few seconds of this, he cleared his throat and sat up straight again, moving the bangs out of his face. "Well, that's....um, that is..." he stuttered, everyone watching him with sympathetic eyes. Rapunzel forced back to urge to run over and hug him again, knowing they needed to talk about what happened as soon as possible. And, unfortunately, that 'soon' was now. "That's....something, huh?" the boy finished, chuckling slightly, though it had no light or humor to it. Just nervousness. 

Rapunzel and Eugene both made eye contact, sharing a concerned look before looking back to Varian. "Varian." Rapunzel spoke gently, making him pause to look at her. And just that small, short look almost made her break. It was like she could see every emotion built up inside him  flashing through his eyes, and the slight quiver to his lip was an even better indicator of the true feelings he was trying---and failing---to hide. And just with that one word, and one look, the boy's dam broke.

Rapunzel's eyes widened as a sudden burst of tears started pouring down his face, and he dropped his face into his hands. His father was the quickest to react, pulling him into a slightly _._ awkward embrace. But at the moment it didn't matter, he let the boy sob quietly into his shirt, while everyone watched, not knowing what to do. 

After a few minutes, Varian had fallen asleep, though nobody could understand how, since he'd basically just taken a whole day's worth of one. But they couldn't judge, all of them feeling very tired themselves. 

Quirin picked Varian up into his arms, holding him close as he started to walk away. "We can talk about this later." he said, stopping just at the edge of the stairs leading upstairs. "Perhaps you should all rest, I'll set up the two guest rooms upstairs." 

Then he walked away, everybody too tired to try and argue. Quirin was right; Rapunzel hadn't realized how tired she was until he'd mentioned it, and now her eyes suddenly felt quite droopy. She could see Catalina and Kiera both starting to fall asleep on each other, and chuckled. Eugene wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, pulling her to lean against him. She sighed, allowing the warmth of his body to relax her own. 

Her eyes fluttered closed, and she fell asleep, this time more peacefully. 

(---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Cassandra was tired, much like everybody else. So much so, that she couldn't even reach her tower without a few resting stops, and she was usually pretty quick with the moonstone. Speaking of which...

She brought her hand up to touch the opal on her chest. It wasn't sparking any lightning anymore, which was nice, but it was still worryingly different. _Very_ worryingly different. It was losing its once memorizing glow, and fading to a softer, lighter blue. Problem was, she didn't know why or what it was doing. Was she losing power? By bringing back Varian, did she give up some of her weapon? Should she have done that?

 _Yes._ A voice inside her said. _You care for him, just as much as you care for the others. This isn't your destiny. It's **wrong.**_

"How did it go?" 

Cassandra turned her head from the tree she was leaning on, seeing her "friend" standing a few feet away, a small grin on her face. Cassandra pushed away the voice that kept nagging at her, focusing on other subjects for the time being. 

"He's back, but what did it do?" she demanded, gesturing to the stone. The girl looked at it for a moment, cocking an interested brow, before turning back to face Cassandra. "Hm, that is quite interesting. I figured the piece of the opal would converge with the boy, but I didn't think..." she suddenly widened her eyes, letting out a little gasp, though it sounded more out of annoyance than realization, but Cassandra put that aside. 

"What?" she asked. The girl turned her back to her, and started pacing again, rubbing her chin in deep thought. "It seems the moonstone has given him more of its power than I realized. If you had stayed under the incantation's spell just a few moments longer, you most likely would've transferred all of the moonstone's power into him." she explained, sounding somewhat displeased. This worried Cass. 

"So that means..."

"It means he now has half of the stone's power, and I don't know if it's reversible." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll tell you now, Zhan Tiri's plan is taking a lot of last-minute turns.
> 
> But it's not for the better...


	9. Team Awesome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Awesome has a much needed talk, and Eugene's acts as Varian's therapist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly think my favorite perspective to write from it Eugene's; he's just really fun and interesting to write, and I feel like it's also easier to write him for some reason. 
> 
> I don't know whether to say sorry or you're welcome for this chapter, because it's really long and mostly filled with just talking. But it is kinda important, AND it's filled with Team Awesome fluff, so.....you're welcome???? Lol. Think of it as a Christmas Present, even though it had NOTHING to do with Christmas XD
> 
> Enjoy!

The group had been moved to the guest bedrooms; Eugene, Rapunzel, and Pascal together, and Lance and the girls together. Quirin had sent a letter to the king about the situation, though he had been hesitant, and asked that even though they had Max, he send a carriage for them the next day. It had only been a couple of hours since Varian being revived---it being almost dusk---but it had felt like it'd been years. Eugene didn't need that long of a nap, though his tuckered girlfriend stayed sound asleep, so he decided to lounge in the living room while everyone else (including Quirin in his room) rested. 

But before heading down, he quietly opened Varian's door to check on him, seeing him soundly sleeping in his bed. The man frowned at seeing his scrunched up face, and hearing a few muffled whimpers covered by the pillow his face was pressed up against, realizing he was having a night terror. What made his frown deepen, was seeing his now white/blue hair softly glowing along with the frightened sounds. But he didn't know if waking him would be a very good idea, so he gently closed the door and went downstairs. 

As he figured, nobody was up, and the windows showed night slowly arriving, the sky turning a dusty pink and purple. Eugene remembered the first time seeing it in Corona, two and a half years ago. 

_He was leading Rapunzel through the cobblestone streets of the kingdom, carefully avoiding the guards that would appear every now and again. Rapunzel didn't really noticed, fixated on the people starting the fill the darkening road with unlit lantern in their hands. Eugene smiled at the way she smiled at a young boy jumping up and down excitedly with one, begging his mom to light it. The blonde's smile was almost as warm as her aura, and it was a perfect symbol of her kindness and generosity. He couldn't help but admire that---almost as much as he admired everything else about her, from her shining green eyes, to her freckled cheeks._

_And as they started approaching the docks, where he'd rented a boat (one of the first times he'd ever actually BOUGHT something in his life), she stopped to stare out across the bridge, where the trees parted to give a perfect view of the setting sun. He stopped with her, suddenly remembering he was still holding her soft, small hand. He followed her gaze, his breath almost completely taken away from the gorgeous view of the color-changing sky. Orange, pink and purple dusted around the bright sun, making the view ten times as breathtaking. The outline of the trees beyond also added to the nice scenery._

_"It's beautiful, isn't it?"_

_Eugene almost didn't realize Rapunzel had spoken, until he felt her gaze turn to him. He turned his head to meet it, forcing back the heat trying to come to his face. Her lips were curled into an almost emotionless and unreadable shape, though it mostly resembled a slight frown. He couldn't help but wonder what her mind was thinking, before answering in a soft tone._

_"Yeah...it is." If he was being honest, he had no idea it he was talking about the sunset, but Rapunzel didn't seem to notice, turning back to it as the sky started to darken._

_"This is the first time I've seen it outside the tower. There, I usually just take it as a sign that the lanterns are about to be released, and I never really take the time to soak in...well, this." she gestured with her arm at the view ahead, and Eugene nodded as she continued. "But now...I'm realizing how grateful I am for it. It's one of the only things I've ever really been thankful for." She chuckled slightly, though sadly._

_Eugene didn't know how to reply to that, though he did feel like he could somewhat relate to it. Having been on the run most of his life, he'd also never really taken time to actually drink in the world's beauty or gifts. He never really thought life cared enough to give him any. But now that he was here, with this sweet and pretty young woman next to him, he was starting to think he'd been wrong. Maybe the world did care about him after all._

_Pushing the thoughts aside, and thinking it had been too long to answer, he smiled and pulled at the blonde's hand. "Well, you wanna see your other birthday gift or what?"_

_She turned to see him pointing at the boat, Max standing near it on the dock, and giggled. "Of course."_

Eugene sighed at the memory, wishing to go back to it. Maybe then he could change things; change things with Varian, with Cass, and maybe even with his father. After a while, he'd started feeling a little guilty over how he'd been treating his dad over the months after meeting him. He knew the man meant well, then and now, and had only tried protecting him from suffering his mother's same fate. True, the reaction would probably be the same; but at least he'd have a choice again. Maybe he still did. 

With a small shrug to himself, he closed the curtains, making the candles in the crevices of the house the only things lighting up the place, giving it a similar warm hue as the sunset did. He went over to the fireplace, lighting it up for more light and heat, and sat down in the armchair in front of it. He couldn't help but let his eyes linger a bit over the area, to the paintings and objects hanging on the walls. One in particular caught his eye, and he allowed his eyes to stare at it for a moment. 

It was a painting of Varian, who looked to be about six or seven. It was a very detailed picture, which gave Eugene the idea that since Quirin was the village leader and had a large home, he was a very wealthy man. In the picture, Varian was wearing the same clothes he had when they'd first met, though they were much larger on him. His beige pants had to be rolled up so he couldn't trip, though one of the pant legs hung lower towards his feet, which were covered by small boots. His light blue shirt was also very baggy on him, barely covered by the slumping apron hanging low on his figure. The same goggles he still wore today hung at his neck, where his leather-glove covered hands held onto loosely, as not to break them.

Eugene's grinned at the sweet, innocent looking expression on the boy's freckled face---his eyes full of joy and excitement, and a large, bucktooth smile stretching across his face. He'd been so innocent and different then, and he'd had no idea of what a difficult future he would have, and how different he'd become. It was sad, honestly, that someone as pure and sweet as him (basically another version of Rapunzel) could turn out so.....well, dark. He didn't deserve everything that had happened to him, especially at such a young age. But he had, and he'd somehow endured it. He somehow managed to hike his way through every obstacle, even though he'd had to take risky and dark measures to do so at times, and came out stronger, but also just a bit weaker. 

Eugene could admit it hurt him, and he wished he could've been better to the kid back then. 

Eugene frowned when his gaze fell to the young boy's ratty black hair, a much more clearer blue strip noticeable in the locks. Varian had told him that he'd had it his whole life, and now that they knew why, he found it hard to believe. How could someone as young as him, who'd gone through a whole lot of hell, have the power of a celestial object and not know? Well, actually that was obvious: his father. Dad Quirin know? He should've, right? Was that why he never told Varian of the black rocks two year ago? Were the black rocks partly because of his connection to the moonstone? 

Maybe they'd know, maybe not. It was hard to say for sure now. 

He sighed, his eyes falling to the crackling flames. He also had another question, that to him was the most important of all. How the hell did Cassandra know about all of this, and they didn't? 

He couldn't even think of any time she could've found out about the powers within Varian. The great tree, maybe? No, she was still (at least mostly) on their side then, and most definitely would've told someone about it if she found out. The House Of Yesterday's Tomorrow? Much more likely. She had told them about what happened inside that door she'd exited from, and about how Gothel was her mother (which explained a lot about his annoyance with her). She easily could've somehow found out about Varian containing powers, and not tell them because of her plans to take the stone. 

But if that were the case, wouldn't she have gone after the alchemist a lot sooner? Honestly, this was all starting to give him a headache. 

Groaning, the former thief rubbed at his temples, closing his eyes to try and pry away from all of these thoughts until they were more needed. He was so focused in this, he hadn't noticed the figure coming down the steps. 

"Eugene?" 

Eugene startled at the sudden voice, immediately jumping and spinning out of his seat. He looked up to see who the voice had come from, and the sight he was met with was almost heart crushing. 

Varian stood near the bottom of the stairs, rubbing tiredly at his reddened eyes. Tears were silently streaming down his face, splashing quietly to the floor as the alchemist tried to get rid of them. His voice was croaking, and sounded as if he'd been crying for decades, or he'd been screaming too long, and his face was both a mix of pale and red. He looked absolutely miserable. 

"Hey, Kid, are you okay?" Eugene asked, not sure if he should go hug him. Varian stared at him for a moment, before he shook his head, and suddenly started crying harder. This time, Eugene didn't hesitate to run to him and catch him before he collapsed, setting him down on the floor gently, and pulling him into a gentle embrace. The teen cried into his shirt, clutching tightly at it with one hand, while the other tugged at his back. Eugene held him, running a hand through his soft hair soothingly. 

"Shhh, it's okay, Kid, I'm right here."

Varian shook in his grip, but slowly grew more stable as minutes passed. Eugene waited until the boy finally eased his crying to only a few silent tears, before pulling him away with his hands on his shoulders. Varian wiped away at a tear, meeting Eugene's calm, chocolate colored eyes. 

"You okay?" The former thief asked. That might've been a pretty stupid question, considering the teenager was just crying in his arms, and looked like hell. But there wasn't really any other way to ask. Varian's eyes trailed down to the floor below him, and he snuffled as he brushed away another small tear. 

"N-No...I-I mean, now, I'm kinda b-better." he stuttered, looking back up to the man was grateful eyes. "Th-thanks, g-gene."

Eugene nodded. "What happened?"

Varian bit his lip. "J-Just a nightmare, that's all." he explained curtly. Eugene wasn't going to except it, however.

"What was it about?"

Again, a stupid question; it was most likely about his fall from the tower, Cassandra, or coming back to life---maybe even all of the above. Besides, Eugene knew Varian well enough that the teenager probably wouldn't even admit it. The kid was good at hiding his feelings and inner thoughts, and while that could be a good thing at times, there are moments like this that beg for answers. Varian's villain arch was another great example of this, though it also wasn't since then Varian was a mix of showing and hiding his feelings and thoughts. It really depended on the subject for him. 

And so, of course, Varian tried to avoid the question. "C-Can I sit down somewhere? P-Please?"

Eugene couldn't say not to that, and helped him to his feet, which staggered slightly under his weight. Eugene brought him to the second armchair next to the other, and sat him down on it, before sitting on the one he sat on earlier. He kept his eyes fixed on Varian, who stared down at the fire with almost no shown emotion. Eugene couldn't help but glimpse up at his messy hair, transfixed on the mix of white and blue in its locks. It was a wonder how Varian hadn't freaked out about it, though he doubted he even knew about the new look yet.

After a few minutes of silence, save for the crackling of the fire, Varian suddenly spoke again, his voice much less croakier than before. 

"It was about the tower." 

It was so random and quiet, Eugene almost missed it. He luckily caught the words after a moment of processing, and nodded quietly for him to continue. 

"I was in the tower, but you guys weren't there. I was arguing with Cass and trying to talk her out of doing what she was, because I've been there and know what it's like and all that." 

Eugene knew that probably actually happened, but didn't question or say anything as Varian continued. 

"Th-Then, um...she hit me in the ribs with her black rocks, just like she actually did when I tried talking to her. But instead of hitting the floor, or feeling any pain like I did before, she threw me out of the tower. A-And I was falling, just like I did yesterday, and I could see her face; full of so much anger and hate, a-and completely guiltless. It was horrifying." Varian shifted a little in his seat, rubbing the area of his chest as he talked. 

Eugene knew he'd cracked his ribs, though he didn't know until now how it had happened. He'd noticed the bruising when he looked over his body on the platform, and since he'd dealt with many of rib wounds in the past, knew he hadn't earned it from falling from the tower. It was also easy to say that because he'd landed on his back, which only caused head injury, back bruising, and of course, death. And now that he knew how he'd gotten hurt, he couldn't help but feel a bitter anger towards Cassandra. 

"B-But the worst part of the dream w-wasn't Cassandra, o-or even falling." Varian looked down, his body starting to shake more again, and the tears speeding up again. He finished his story in almost a whisper, choking slightly on a forced back sob. "It was what she said; how I was a fool for thinking anyone would ever care about me after what I did, or that we were even remotely similar. She said I was pathetic and unimportant, and nobody would care enough to come for me." 

Eugene's heart could practically be heard shattering. 

He didn't pause to stand and kneel down in front of Varian, grasping his hands tightly in his own. "Oh, Varian."

The teen looked up at him, not bothering to brush anymore of his tears away. "None of those things are true. Kid, we care about you just as much as me and Rapunzel care for each other---you're like a little brother to us." Eugene reached up and brushed more of Varian's tears away. "Even after what happened two years ago, we could never care about you any less, or think lowly of you. And yes, I admit, I was a bit skeptical of your redemption at first; but after these past few months, and thinking back on what I did two years ago, I realize me and Rapunzel also made a lot of mistakes. I want to fix those mistakes, and be the idol you saw me as when we first met; only this time, I can truly, really promise that I'll be better."

Eugene noticed the kid's eyes widen at the phrase, but he nodded, so he continued. 

"I can also promise you that you aren't pathetic or unimportant. Honestly, you're completely the opposite; I just need you to believe it like me and Rapunzel do, think you can do that for us?" 

Varian thought for a moment before shrugging. "I think I can try." 

Eugene smiled. "That's all I'm asking. You feeling better?" 

The teen nodded and smiled, his tears slowing. "Thank you." 

Eugene shrugged. "Hey, just doing what any older brother would do. Besides, I need to make up for not catching you at the tower." He instantly regretted saying the second part when he saw Varian's smile fade again, but he didn't cry or freak out again. "You were too far away from me, you couldn't have done anything." he tried to reassure him.

Eugene sighed, going back to his seat. He could feel Varian's eyes follow him till he sat down, folding his arms as the fire illuminated his face. "But I was close, and I could've. I was just inches away from grabbing you before you slipped, and I could've caught you." 

He wanted to slap himself now when Varian's frown deepened, but it was true, right? He was close enough to touch him, and take his hand, but he didn't. He tried, but he failed. If he'd had caught him, none of this shit would be happening, or Varian wouldn't have been dead for a whole night. They wouldn't have needed another confrontation with Cass (who he also blamed for Varian's near demise), or needed to throw part of the moonstone inside the already broken kid. It was his fault Varian was going to have to go through a lot more in the future, even after everything he'd already been through. 

Varian looked back to the fire, lost in thought. Eugene could see the cogs spinning in his head, thinking through dozens of possible responses. Eventually, he chose one, and looked back to Eugene with a sad grin. "Eugene, I don't blame you for what happened. If I'm being completely honest....I don't think it's anyone's fault." 

This made the former thief confused, as he was definitely not expecting that last part. "What do you mean?" he inquired. 

Varian shrugged. "Honestly, these past few months have been....well, crazy. I don't think anyone is at fault for me dying, because there's more to the picture that we aren't seeing. But I can't figure out what." he narrowed his eyes at the fire, thinking again. 

Eugene turned his gaze away, falling into his own thoughts. He definitely agreed that something else was happening behind the scenes, and they weren't exactly being wary of it. This brought him back to his earlier question of how Cassandra knew about Varian's powers. Somehow, she'd known about them, and Eugene was starting to doubt it was that shell house that told her---though there had to be some kind of connection. Between that, and her weird behavior in the Demanitus Chamber (yeah, he'd noticed her talking to basically thin air while he was in peril), he really was getting a sense something bigger was to be blamed. 

After thinking about this for a few minutes, Eugene turned back to the young alchemist. "I think we should talk with everybody else about it if there really is something bigger going on." he said. Varian nodded. "Yeah, me too. But let's wait until they're all better rested." 

Eugene rubbed the back of his neck, which was starting to sweat from the heat of the fire. "You should rest some more, too; you look really out of it." 

Varian shook his head. "Just because I look out of it, doesn't I am out of it. Besides, I don't think I could fall back asleep if I wanted to." he pulled his knees up to his chest, making himself look smaller. Eugene sighed, "I don't blame you, Kid." 

They both faced each other, looking into each other's overly wise eyes. A small smile sprouted on Varian's pale face, eliminating any traces that only half an hour ago, he'd been breaking down in the other man's arms. Eugene grinned back. Maybe they would get through this, as long as they stayed together. Maybe everything would turn out okay. Because that's how strong Team Awesome was, and Eugene decided to let him know it by moving on to another, much lighter subject.

"Well, now we can officially claim that we're Team Awesome." 

Varian raised a brow. "I sense an ironic and ridiculous comparison between us that you're about to point out." 

Eugene snorted. "Well, we've now both been killed and brought back to life by Rapunzel---though your resurrection was MUCH more embellishing." 

This time, Varian was the one to snort. "Well, I wasn't there for your revival, so I have no idea if that's true or not." 

The brunette shrugged. "Honestly, I don't even know how it was. Maybe Rapunzel can explain it." 

The young teen smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I've actually never heard the full story of how you two met and saved each other. I mean, I heard rumors and some stories about what happened in my village, but I want to hear the full thing." 

Eugene thought about it a moment. "Maybe when the others are awake; I know Rapunzel could really use the distraction." He sighed, the sounds of Rapunzel trying and failing to bring Varian back with the healing incantation echoing through his head. How he didn't die from _that_ , he'd never know. 

The sixteen-year old sensed his distress, and frowned. "You okay?" 

Eugene looked up at him and shrugged. "Fine, just tired." 

They both knew it was a lie, but Varian didn't push. Instead, to Eugene's surprise, the alchemist stood up and walked over to him. Eugene cocked a brow, before grunting as Varian threw himself onto the man, throwing his arms around his tightly. Eugene froze in alarm at first, completely taken aback by this random action. But after a moment, he let himself sink into the sudden embrace, wrapping his own arms around the small teen's frame. 

But then he frowned, feeling Varian starting to shake. "Hey, Var, you okay?" 

He could feel his drying shirt becoming wet again, and his eyes widened. "Var?" 

"I'm sorry." 

Well, he certainly did _not_ expect him to say that. 

Carefully, he pushed Varian away, wincing at Varian eyes once again pouring emotions out. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Kid. Why-" but he was cut off by Varian randomly bursting out, "I-I never apologized, a-and I'm sorry." 

Eugene still didn't understand, and Varian noticed. He wiped the tears off, and tried to explain. 

"I-It's been months, a-and I've apologized to everyone; even the queen! B-But I never said sorry to you about everything. I'm so sorry." 

Oh. 

_Oh._

He was right, they never did apologize to each other, did they? Sure, earlier Eugene had hinted at an apology for his mistakes, but he never actually said it. Varian never confronted him about the battle or the Saporians, and they ended up just mutually growing more closer, which wasn't very healthy. But this moment seemed to change that; it made Varian realize how much they needed to talk and apologize to each other. And now, Eugene was realizing it too. 

He wordlessly pulled Varian back into the hug, holding him tightly as he cried into his shirt again. He rubbed circles into his fragile back, comfortingly, feeling his own tears starting to spring. "Varian...it's okay, I forgive you, okay? I forgive you." 

Varian pulled away, looking surprised. "R-Really?" 

Eugene nodded, and smiled sadly as a small tear trickled down his face. "Really." he assured. "And, I'm also sorry." 

Varian looked confused as to why Eugene was apologizing, so Eugene took a deep breath and explained. "When I met you at first, I was really worried about Rapunzel in that machine, and the water tanks below ground. Back then, I was much more protective of her, and I never really thought about how it affected you. I was passive aggressive sometimes, and never paid much attention to how you reacted. This made me think wrongly of you, and consider you to be dangerous to my girlfriend---and that was wrong. 

Then, when I heard about the snowstorm incident, I didn't even think about checking on you. I decided to go with everyone else, and act like that night never really happened. That was also really wrong of me. But the worst thing I did, was villanize you as soon as I heard of you drugging the castle, even after seeing what happened to your father. I still considered you dangerous, and thought more of Rapunzel than you, even though you were a hurt and frightened fourteen-year old. I should not have thought those things, and I can't apologize enough for it."

Eugene brushed a tear away from Varian's face, and gave him a sad smile. "I'm truly, really sorry." 

Varian, under his tears, grinned. "I-It's okay..."

Eugene's smile grew. "Good. Come here." Varian did, and the two sat in a tight embrace for awhile, Eugene rubbing the younger's back to coax him into a calmer mood. Varian's tears became less frequent, and soon, they were both breathing calmly within each other's grips. 

The next time Varian pulled away, he was much calmer and happier, a large, toothy smile spread across his face. Eugene chuckled, giving the teen's shoulder a squeeze. "How about you go wash up, huh? Maybe make it look like you haven't been zombified." 

Varian snorted. "Rude, but fine." 

Eugene laughed as the teen climbed off his lap, and headed for the bathroom down the hall. 

And that's when he realized too late that he'd forgotten to warn Varian of his hair; because a few seconds after the sound of the door closed, there was a very, very loud scream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENTS!  
> Okay, some are important, and some aren't all that important, but here they are anyway. 
> 
> 1\. First off, for those of you waiting for the last (for now) chapter of The End Of Corona, that chapter will come out either the day after Christmas, or the day after that. So don't abandon me!!!
> 
> 2\. I have another chapter of my less popular series (Tangled the series: Where are they now?) coming out later today or tonight, as well as another tomorrow. So for those who read that, look for that..
> 
> 3\. I have another story idea, but I don't exactly know when that'll come out, but it will. Let's just say it'll be a murder mystery...
> 
> And that's it! Thanks for reading, I really hope you guys are enjoying this! 
> 
> Merry Christmas, and have a great day! (Or whatever you celebrate:)


	10. Black Rocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian recounts how the black rocks ruined his life.  
> A furry friend returns.   
> A certain little demon comes to "help" Varian with his powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this came out SOOOO late!
> 
> I've been trying to write this during Christmas, New Years, Catching up on failing classes, and my birthday Sunday, and it's finally here! I don't know how often I'll be able to post more, but I hope I can get the next chapter out soon!
> 
> Enjoy!

"Varian, you okay?" 

The young alchemist looked up from his knees, brushing the blue/white hair out of his face to reveal an expression that showed he was most definitely _**not**_ okay.

He put on a fake smile, making Rapunzel shiver at the similarities between it and the evil smirk he wore two and a half years ago. "Oh, I don't know; I mean, in the past few days I've been kidnapped, drugged, beat up, locked in a cage hundreds of feet in the air, died, revived, and now I found out that I apparently have magic-glowing hair!" he emphasized by puffing his bangs in a sassy manner, using a mock cheery voice. "So, to answer your question, no---I am _not in any way_ okay!"

Everyone in the room flinched. Quirin sighed from his seat in the armchair, rubbing his temple with his thumb and index finger. Eugene, who sat between Lance and Rapunzel, winced. He'd explained what had happened after everyone (save for Catalina and Kiera, who were too wiped out from the day that they probably wouldn't even wake up if the manor caught fire) woke up when Varian screamed. Turns out, he didn't even realize he had a new hair-style until...well, thirty minutes ago. 

And that's how they ended up here; in the living room again, with Quirin in an armchair near the fire, the other three on the couch, and Varian next to the fireplace on the floor, most likely questioning his existence. Rapunzel was starting to wish she hadn't survived the airship accident. 

With a small sigh, she stood and went over to sit next to Varian, who had disturbingly dark bags under his eyes. "Well, you get used to it. At least you don't have to deal with seventy feet of... _this_." she chuckled, holding a strand of her blonde hair. But he wasn't amused. With a small sigh, Rapunzel thought a moment. 

"Have you tried cutting it?"

"Yep. It's just like your hair: unbreakable." 

"Have you tried dying it?"

"It would ruin my hair, magic or not."

"Have you-" Eugene started, before being cut off by a confused Rapunzel. 

"Hold on, I thought you didn't believe in magic?" 

Varian finally turned to the princess, arching an eyebrow as if he'd been personally offended. Which, after hearing his response, probably meant that he _was_ offended. "I never said I didn't believe in magic, Princess. I said I didn't _work_ with it. There is a HUGE difference." 

Rapunzel thought for a moment and shrugged, before the sixteen year old spoke again. "Sure, maybe I was a little skeptical about the idea of magic. But after everything I've seen these past few years, there's no way I can't. Between the Saporians and you and the rocks..." 

He suddenly trailed off, his face falling. He turned away, tightening his grip on his knees, and pulling them closer to his chest. Everyone gave him concerned looks, and Rapunzel gave him a gentle shoulder pat. "Varian? What's wrong?" 

He didn't answer, opting to hide his face back in between his knees instead. This made Rapunzel's concern grow, and she tried to shake him out of whatever panicked daze he was in. "Varian, are you o-" 

She was cut off by him suddenly standing up, making her flinch back. He gave her an apologetic wince, before heading for the door. Everyone stood to follow him, but he stopped them with his hand, looking like he was about to cry. "I-I need to be alone for a little while. S-Sorry." his voice was fractured, a sign he might actually be on the verge of tears. But before anyone could say or do anything, the teen marched right out the door, into the fading color of the day, closing it quietly as to not wake the girls upstairs. 

Everyone stood frozen in bewilderment, confused over what just happened.

(------------------------------------------)

Varian's breath was racing at hundreds of miles per hour, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest as thoughts and memories flew through his mind like a flock of crows. 

_I have to get out of here._

_I have to be alone._

_She might come back for me._

_I don't want to go back to the tower._

_All those black rocks...black rocks everywhere; the walls, the stairs he climbed for what felt like years, the cage, the ones crushing Eugene, the platform he landed on...the ones that attacked his_ village.

_Shit, he had to get away...had to find somewhere safe._

_Somewhere he'd never see those terrifying things ever again._

And he knew just the place. 

Quickly, but not too much as to tire himself out too fast, he made his way into the forest, and down the path he memorized like the hundreds of equations he'd ever solved. It was a bit rough, since it lied on terrain that most certainly wasn't the gentlest. The reason for that was because Old Corona sat very close to the ocean, which was south of them. This meant there were many cliffs and large gaps in the earth, which is why the path was made in the first place; for years many people ended up falling into these holes and off the cliffs, due to not knowing where exactly was safest. Quirin had been one of the many villagers who helped dig out this path, which was incredible, considering where it lead.

After less than thirty minutes, Varian found himself at the beautiful cliff side of Janis Point, where the old ruins of an ancient temple lay rotting. This place was Varian's favorite place to calm down and breath---whether it was after a fight with dad, a panic attack, or a failed experiment. It made him a little sad to think that the last time he'd been here, was right before the Battle of Old Corona. If he could take that night back...

With a small sigh---his breath now much calmer than before---he took a seat on a piece of cement near the edge of the dark rock, which overlooked what seemed to be endless waters. It was quite gorgeous, especially this time of day, when the sun had just set, and the moon and stars began to peak out. That, combined with the salty air provided by the sea, made for the perfect calm center. 

He sighed again, trying to relax his limbs to the sounds of the ocean waves striking the rock, and to the smell of the salty waters hovering in the air. It somewhat worked, as he was able to keep his breathing much steadier. But he was still shaking, and the fear and memories of everything associated with black rocks continued to fly about his mind. 

It was kind of crazy, honestly, to think something that had at first appeared so innocent on its own, caused a great deal of pain and misery throughout his life; even before he was born. The black rocks had destroyed a kingdom he might've been living in now, if not for the moonstone. They corrupted the whole place to the point that the king tried to destroy its source---only to lose a limb, as well as hurt and kill more people. His father had tried to stop the angry leader, failing, and instead being cursed with the some of the celestial object's energy inside of him, which he'd passed on to Ulla, which ended up permanently in Varian. It was no wonder Varian could never dye or cut the damned stripe!

And that's when things got worse; fourteen years later, Rapunzel---the sundrop---touches one of the spikes and gets her long hair back, which causes the deadly stones to start spreading, and eventually reach Old Corona. Because of this, his whole village started to fall apart, and he was the only one trying to do anything about it. And that only lead to...well, _worse_ things to happen. He ended up alone for months, having to stay in his house almost every day because of the guards the King had sent to keep him away from the rest of humanity, committing treason, attempted regicide, and eventually landed himself in prison, where he met one of the most manipulative bastards he'd ever seen. 

And then the rest is simple; he escaped with the Saporians, took over the kingdom for a few weeks, Rapunzel returned and brought him back to light (as well as freeing his father), etc. When he'd found out about Cassandra a few weeks later, he'd been almost completely devastated. Not only that he'd lost a friend, but also for Rapunzel. It really didn't help to heal the guilt of his past all that much. 

A few months later, everything seemed to be picking up. With his father back, and Rapunzel back as his friend, the future actually seemed a whole lot brighter. And then Cassandra sent a whole wave of red rocks around Corona, causing everyone's greatest fears to appear in their mind. Varian had to relive his past again, as well as go through the fear of being hunted or exiled by the people of Corona. It wasn't like that fear had exactly gone away, but still.

After stopping it, he'd decided to use the Demanitus chamber as his private workspace for deciphering (ironically) the Demanitus scroll. He'd never admit it, but it really didn't take that long; two to three weeks at the longest. The rest of the time was spent.....um, doing things he'd never admit or tell anyone, let's just say. 

After four weeks (almost three days ago), Rapunzel and the crew came down asking about it. Not wanting to start up any awkward talk, he'd put up an act about still needing time to decipher the scroll. Though, in all fairness, he technically still _did,_ because of the hidden fourth incantation. Then Cassandra returned, and he ended up getting taken along with the scroll. 

He was drugged by his own truth serum, and forced to give Cass the one incantation that could control---yep, you guessed it---black rocks. After doing so, she went all Let-It-Go-Elsa-Building-Her-Ice-Palace with the rocks, and made a very, very, very tall fortress, which Varian was forced to climb all the way up, before being beaten with the stupid things when trying to talk with Cassandra. He was put in a damn black rock cage, and yeeted out hundreds of feet in the air for hours. But, hey, at least _something_ good came out of it, right? He got to uncover the fourth incantation, which Demanitus ingeniously hid with photo-reactive ink on the back of the parchment. 

But then came what was most likely the worst thing the black rocks had 'gifted' him. Being thrown hundreds of feet from the top of the tower, and killed instantly on impact with the hard platform sticking out of the tower. 

Then he was revived, revealed to have moonstone energy, and given what had to be the WORSE hair-do of all time! Though, to be completely honest, even that wasn't the worst part about all of this. Not even _dying_ was the worst news that he'd been told as soon as he had awoken. 

If he had known about his connection to the moonstone two and a half years ago, he might've also been able to somehow get rid of the plaguing black rocks, or even CONTROL them---which also begged the question, were they also there for him? 

It would make sense, wouldn't it? Maybe they weren't only after the sundrop, but the rest of the moonstone's power. That just made things worse when he realized how much easier things could've been if he'd known. If dad hadn't been so secretive. If Varian hadn't been so submissive every time he was told to stop asking questions. If he had done it sooner than the day of the blizzard. 

But that didn't matter now. Not anymore. It was in the past, and now Varian had to deal with the future. He had to deal with the _now._

As soon as that thought passed through his mind, a sudden chirp caught his attention. He instinctively spun around to face whatever it was that had made the sound behind him, swallowing hard when he reached for his alchemy belt; only to find it completely empty of any weapons. 

All he could see was the now dark trees ahead, lit up by the soft moon now almost halfway in the sky behind him. It was actually very pretty; the light bouncing off the broken down pieces of concrete and stone beams and pillars, and the way it made the rest of the sky look almost completely empty of stars. If Varian wasn't so frightened for his life right now, he might actually print it out in his mind to sketch later (yes, he had a side hobby of sketching when he wasn't doing alchemy or engineering). In his peripheral, he could see a long, sharp stick lying on the ground next to him. Swiftly, he crouched down to grab it before standing straight again, getting into a defensive position. 

He didn't actually know how to fight with anything other than his alchemy, but the enemy, whoever or whatever they were, didn't need to know that. 

"Who-Who's there?" 

There was no answer, save for the quiet hush of the wind. 

He swallowed hard. "I-I know you're here...a-and I'm not afraid of-"

He was cut off by another, much more excited-sounding, chirp coming from somewhere up ahead. It suddenly sounded very, very familiar. 

Varian's eyes widened, and he dropped the stick. He hoped he was right about who it was; because if it wasn't, he was probably about to be eaten by some feral forest creature. 

Almost immediately after the stick collapsed to the ground, a grey blur came racing from behind a stone pillar. Varian cried out as he felt the small blur collide with his chest, sending him falling backward onto the rocky ground. The small ball of fur ran all around and over him, chirping wildly to the point it sounded like high screeches. 

He sat up, quickly catching the animal before it could do anything else, causing it to immediately stop. "Woah, woah, easy Buddy! It's okay, I'm okay! I'm alive!" 

The animal, Ruddiger, looked up at him with wide, relived eyes. He gave a small chirp, eyes brightening when his human pulled him into a tight hug. Tears came to the boy's eyes as he clutched tightly to his furry friend, also full of relief. But also guilt. 

"Oh, Sun! Ruddy, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot about you in the chamber, a-and I was just so caught up with being kidnapped, and dying, and coming back to life!" 

He stopped at the raccoon's confused look, and he chuckled, pulling him back to his chest. "I'm so happy you're okay." 

Ruddiger smiled, nuzzling his head into the teen's neck comfortingly. Varian melted into it, feeling the tears begin to roll down his cheeks. How could he have forgotten his pet? His friend? His _best friend?_ The last time he'd seen him, the poor little guy had been thrown against the wall of the Demanitus Chamber and knocked out. How could he have forgotten him? 

He'd dwell on it later; at least he was here now to comfort and calm him. 

With a relieved sigh, Varian stood back up with Ruddiger in his arms, smiling brightly at the soft purr he gave in return. He then turned to go back to his cement piece, until he was stopped by a voice. An accented one that sounded younger, and he could've sworn he'd heard before. 

"He must be very special to you."

Varian swallowed thickly. He could feel Ruddiger growl slightly and climb on his shoulder, staring at whoever it was behind him. He turned to see who it was, before his eyes widened. It was the same young girl from his dream in the black rock cage---she'd given him the clue to finding the fourth and final incantation. She'd also seemed more ghostly there, while here she appeared physical and full of dark color. She gave a small smile, and puffed out her two hair buns a bit with her gloves hands. 

"Y-You? H-How? Why?" he couldn't find himself able to form any words, too surprised. 

The girl gave a bigger smile in return. "My dear alchemist, I've always been here. Though now, I'm finally able to take physical form, thanks to you." 

Varian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean; who are you?"

The girl played with her fingers for a moment, answering without meeting his eyes. "To put it simply, I am what you are a part of. I am what's been living inside you all these long years. I am a part of-" 

"The moonstone?" Varian interrupted. The girl smiled wider and nodded, taking a few steps towards him. Ruddiger hissed, but stopped when Varian shushed him and put a hand on his back. "So...are you _the_ moonstone? Or are you just a part of it?" he asked, watching cautiously as she started to get closer. She shrugged, stopping and turning to look into the far depths of the sea. "If I were the moonstone, I wouldn't exactly be here now, would I?" she replied, almost snarky. Varian shook his head. "I-I suppose not. So that means..."

"I am a part of its power. Of _your_ power. I always have been, ever since your father was blasted with its energy."

"I guess that makes sense. So my stripe...that was-"

"Me, yes. That's how I could come to you in your dream. It wasn't until Rapunzel used that incantation I helped you uncover, that I was able to fully come out into the world and help you."

Varian bit his bottom lip, before gasping as he realized something. "W-W-Wait! S-So that...that weird, purple black hole thing in the tower, th-that...that was you?" 

She nodded. "Indeed. And thank you, by that way. Where I was imprisoned was anything but pleasant."

Varian stared at her, both anxious and uneasy. "A-And where was...um, that?" 

The girl turned and nodded to him, her growing smile adding to Varian's anxiety. "I cannot explain well, but let's just say it wasn't a very comfortable place. But I'm not here to talk about me, Varian. I'm here for you." She took a step toward him, making him instinctively take a step back. He flinched when he heard the ocean waves below him, threatening to take him if he took a few too many steps back. Ruddiger hissed again. 

The girl didn't seem to care. "No need to fear me, dear alchemist; I am only here to help you control your power. Control _yourself."_ She once again took a few steps forward, but Varian didn't take any other steps back. Ruddiger growled in warning, so Varian pulled him tightly into his arms to keep from leaping or attacking the girl. "What do you mean?" 

The girl let out a small sigh. "So many questions, dear. But, I suppose that's what you scientist's do, isn't it? You ask questions, and you answer them with knowledge. Quite remarkable. But that's not the point. To answer your question, I want to show you something. If you follow me, I can show you what I mean---but do leave your little friend here, I don't want any scars on my face." she chuckled, turning to go. 

Varian hesitated, unsure of what to do. He looked from the girl, walking away down the rock, and back to Ruddiger, who looked worriedly up at his human. 

The alchemist eventually sighed, setting the raccoon down on the ground. "Look, Buddy, I won't be gone too long, okay? Go home, Rapunzel and my friends are there right now. I'll be home before midnight." 

The little animal chirped, seemingly unconvinced. This made Varian sigh again. "I promise, okay? I will. Now go on." 

Ruddiger chirped again, before turning away and dashing back down the forest path, and fading out of sight. The girl turned to Varian, a smaller and more warmer smile on her face. She gestured for him to follow her into the forest, away from the path. 

Varian paused for a few seconds, before following; leaving the glow of the moon behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zhan Tiri, you lying, manipulative, little.....
> 
> ANYWAYS! I promise it'll all get more action-y soon! We still have a lot of emotional baggage to unpack along the way.


	11. Crescent High Above...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian's new friend coaches him on using his powers  
> Rapunzel and the gang look for their missing friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to right, but here it is!
> 
> Enjoy!

"Where are we going?" Varian asked, starting to get impatient. He and the little moon girl had been walking for almost a whole hour, and by now it was pitch black out. He hated that, because it made the already eerie forest even creepier. Even the littlest sounds, like the chirps of a cricket, would get to him, and make him want to go running back home. But he didn't, forcing himself to follow the surprisingly quick little girl through the trees.

Said person continued walking in front of him, not giving him a single glance when she replied calmly, "It's not much further, little moon. Just a few more minutes." 

Varian sputtered, about to tell her that wasn't what he'd asked, before he fully processed what she'd just said. He jogged forward to catch up to her, slowing to her pace next to her and staring at the short female with wide eyes. "Little moon? Did you just..." he trailed off, too confused to form a coherent sentence. But the moon girl seemed to understand, putting on a small smile. "Well, you are a part of the moon. You are also quite little, in more ways than one."

Varian choked back an offended gasp. "Little? I am NOT little! I'm just kinda late to hit my growth spurt!" 

The girl chuckled, stepping over a sharp root sticking out from the ground. "That wasn't really what I meant."

Varian looked curiously at her. "Then what did you-"

"We're here." 

He stopped, turning to look at where they'd ended up. It was a large clearing, full of beautiful flowers and green grass. The moon, which now rested in the center of the sky, lit it up perfectly, and made it practically glow with life and beauty. It also brought focus to the running river at the other end of it, the water sounding almost better than the sea waves at Janis Point. The darker trees surrounding the whole place brought extra contrast to it, making Varian want to just jump in a lay in the comfort of mother nature. 

But the moon girl had other ideas. 

She started walking again, and Varian subconsciously followed, still admiring the moon-lit meadow. After a few minutes, they stopped right in the middle of the clearing, now completely surrounded by grass, flower, and tree. 

"Now what?" Varian asked, looking back down at the girl. He felt slight unease at the way she stared up at him, almost as if she were staring longingly at a painting she wished to have for herself. He was about to say something about it, but was stopped when the girl spoke. "Now you learn to use your powers." 

Varian felt himself tense up at the thought of controlling black rocks---the very things that ruined his life. "B-But I can't. Cassandra has the moonstone, I don't-"

"You don't need the moonstone, little moon. All you need is its  _ power _ ." she countered, pointing up to his hair. Varian looked at it through his peripheral, grabbing a small piece with his gloved fingers. He shivered at the way is softly glowed through the light of the moon, gasping when it started getting brighter. The girl giggled in delight. "See? With half of the moonstone's energy inside of you, you can access fifty percent of its power. You can use it."

Varian released the hair, looking back down at the girl with a surprised look. "W-Wait...I have half of its power?"

The girl nodded. 

"When Cassandra and Rapunzel both brought you back, the opal gave you more than just a splinter of it. It gave you more of its precious gift. If you can learn to harness this gift, you can use it to your advantage. You can beat Cassandra in battle, and finally be able to live the rest of your life peacefully."

Varian took a moment to soak it all in.

"S-So...I can use the incantations then?"

She nodded. "Yes, but only the ones provided for the moonstone." 

She turned and started to pace. Varian bit his lip in thought. The second and third incantations were clearly what she meant, but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he used the sun-drop's incantations. Plus, what about the third incantation? Cassandra used it to gain full control over the black rocks; would using it allow him the same abilities, or did he need the moonstone for that? So many questions...

And as much as he wanted to voice them, he knew he'd already asked too many already. He didn't want to annoy her and make her leave him. He needed her right now. So he elected to stay quiet, watching as the girl stopped pacing and turned back to look at him. 

"Anymore provoking inquiries?" 

Varian barely held back a flinch, feeling slightly guilty. But you couldn't really blame him---he was an alchemist with a thirst for knowledge, after all. He's been so used to asking questions, he never exactly took the time to think about how people felt about them. Maybe he should start thinking before speaking.

Pinning that mental note in his mind, he shook his head, making the girl smile more. 

"Good. Now, shall we get started?" 

(-----------------------------------)

Rapunzel paced anxiously around the living room, hands behind her back. Quirin sat on the couch, head resting on his fists, and elbows on his knees. Lance and Eugene had both gone out to look for Varian after he'd disappeared for over an hour, and had been gone for almost the same amount of time. The princess was starting to get worried. What if they'd all gotten kidnapped? What if Cassandra came back and did something to them? She'd never forgive herself for letting Varian run off like he did!

But everyone in the room had seen the way Varian had frozen up when he'd mentioned the black rocks; the following signs of a panic attack were clear. Which is why they'd let him be alone for awhile. But after almost an hour and a half, they'd all grown more concerned when he didn't come home, so Eugene and Lance both volunteered to go out looking for him. Rapunzel was starting to regret not joining. 

As if on cue, the front door suddenly opened, and the figures of Lance and Eugene came inside. Quirin perked up, and Rapunzel ran up to them with both relieved and concerned eyes. Varian wasn't with them. 

"Did you find him?" she asked hopefully. The men shook their heads.

"No, it's like he's just disappeared." Lance replied worriedly. 

Eugene then looked outside, appearing to be waiting for something. "But we found someone else." he said, just as a sudden blur of grey bolted through the door. Rapunzel gasped as it climbed up her dress and jumped off, spinning in circles wildly. After a minute, the blur stopped for a moment, letting out a small chirp. And that's when she recognized it. 

"Ruddiger? Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I can't believe we forgot about you in the Demanitus chamber!" she crouched down and picked him up, pulling the animal to her chest in an attempt to comfort the poor thing. But to her surprise, it jumped out of her hold and chirped again, pointing it's paw towards the door. 

Rapunzel looked confusedly down at the raccoon, before looking up at her friends, who both shrugged to show they were just as confused. She looked back down to the animal, following its paw to the door, before she suddenly understood. 

"Do you know where he is?" she asked, not needing to specify who. Ruddiger chirped and nodded. "Do you think you can lead us to him?"

Again the animal nodded, seeming impatient for them to get a move on. Rapunzel turned to face the others. "Okay, but we need someone to stay and watch the girls." At this, Lance instantly raised his hand. "I will, Princess." 

She smiled. "Thank you, Lance. Quirin, Eugene, let's go get Max."

(-----------------------------------)

"Ugh! It won't work!"

Varian groaned in frustration, plumping himself on the ground and crossing his arms. 

For over an hour, Varian had been trying to use his powers to control the rocks, with the little moon girl coaching him. But no matter how hard he tried to push himself, or how much the girl tried to motivate him, it always ended the same; his hair would glow for a few seconds, the ground would slightly rumble, then the glow would fade and the shaking would stop. No matter what, Varian couldn't conjure up a single black rock. And at this point, it seemed like that wouldn't happen. 

The little moon girl, who stood a few feet away from him, sighed and walked over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him, but he just continued to pout. 

"My dear little moon, you aren't trying hard enough." she spoke, trying to sound serene. This only fueled Varian's anger, and he jumped to his feet to glare her down. "Yeah, you've said that---MULTIPLE times, actually! B-But I just can't! No matter how hard I-I try, I just...I..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to say. He fell to his knees and looked down at the ground, running his gloved hands through his scalp. He didn't notice the girl looking thoughtfully at this.

He sighed in defeat, all anger being replaced by tiredness. It was almost midnight, anyway; he promised Ruddiger he'd be back by then, and at this point, there really wasn't any point in staying if he'd only fail. "Look, I-I should probably just go home." he muttered, standing up. He turned and started for the break in the trees where they'd come in earlier. "There's no point in this if it won't work." 

After a few steps, he stopped when the girl spoke up. "Take off your gloves." she ordered. Confused, he turned back to look at her. "What?" 

She looked sternly at him. "I said take your gloves off; perhaps your power is being blocked by them."

Varian looked down at his hands, silently debating with himself whether he should listen or not. The others back at his home were probably worried about him, especially given how long he had been gone for. Plus, Ruddiger was probably worried about him too. He did make a promise, and both of them knew how important promises were, especially if either were to break one.

But...maybe just a few minutes wouldn't hurt? His raccoon couldn't blame him if he came back five or so minutes after twelve, right? 

Yeah, he wouldn't. 

Reaching his decision, he started to pull his left glove off. It took a moment, but it came off pretty easily, and fell limply to the forest floor. The right one soon followed, leaving both of his hands bare to the evening air. He shivered slightly at the cold, but didn't think much on it as he re-positioned his hands at a random spot in the ground. The girl came to stand next to him, watching expectantly as he took a deep breath and started to recite the same incantation he'd given Cass.

_**Crescent high above** _

_**Evolving as you go...** _

He once again could see his hair start to glow bright blue, and felt the earth beneath his feet start to move.

_**Raise what lies beneath** _

_**And let the darkness grow** _

"Good..." he heard the girl beside him murmur. The ground shook more, and he could see the spot his hands pointed toward start to glow blue. 

**_Bend it to my will_ **

_**Consume the sunlight's** _ **_glow_ **

_**Rise into the sky** _

Varian was now struggling to keep hold, feeling a sudden burst of energy flow through his veins. This definitely hadn't happened before, and he was worried he wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. 

As he finished the seventh line, he could hear the moon girl speak, "You can do it, Varian. Think about how much the black rocks have hurt you; about how much _Cassandra_ had hurt you. She killed you, and almost killed all of your friends, you can't let her try again."

He let those words sink in, feeling the anger mix with the energy to help him keep his hold on the power coursing through his hands.

**_And let the darkness grow_ **

He thought about Cassandra breaking her promise at the expo. He thought about her just standing by and watching as he was dragged by guards out into a raging blizzard. He thought about Cassandra leading a whole battalion again him; a scared, fourteen year old boy who just wanted to free his father. He thought about her betraying Rapunzel and disappearing. He thought about her attacking them down in the chamber, and nearly killing his friends for a piece of paper.

He thought about her knocking him out, kidnapping him, drugging him with his own truth serum. He thought about her knocking him across the room with black rocks, bruising his ribs. He thought about her hanging him out of the tower in a cage hundreds of feet in the air. He thought about Rapunzel being pinned to the wall by _her_ rocks. He thought about her crushing the life out of Eugene, and the pained groans coming out of him. He thought about her attacking Rapunzel. He thought about her sending him flying out of the tower to his death. 

_She killed him. She almost killed Eugene and Rapunzel._

With one last groan, he managed to finish the incantation. 

**_Let darkness grow!_ **

As soon as the last word was said, the glowing in the ground was replaced by a dozen sharp black rocks sprouting out of it, destroying any plants in their way. Varian gasped, falling to the ground in exhaustion, and watching the glow in his hair fade away. 

The little moon girl applauded happily. 

"Well done, little moon! Look what you did!"

Varian looked up at the cluster of long, sharp rocks sticking out of the ground, pointing up at the sky, almost exactly aligned with the moon high above. They glowed a faint blue, along with a bit of white that matched Varian's hair. It was, to put it simply, kind of beautiful. 

The teen wiped the sweat off his face before getting back to his feet, stumbling slightly. 

"With time, you will be able to control the rocks and bend them to your will. And with that power, you'll be able to defeat Cassandra when the war comes." the moon girl said, staring with awe at the rocks. After a moment of silence, she turned back to face Varian, a small grin on her face. "But you have a little while until that day comes. Until then, meet me here every Wednesday night so we can practice using your abilities. Hopefully, by the eclipse, you will be ready." 

Varian gave her a confused look. "Eclipse? What do you mean?"

She waved her hand dismissively, turning the opposite way and walking away from him. "You will learn in time. For now, just stay safe, and remember to meet me here next week at the same time." 

Varian nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see it, and watched as she faded away into the trees; leaving him completely alone.

(------------------------------------)

Rapunzel and Eugene rode Maximus down the bumpy dirt rode, while Quirin rode on his own horse, Sapphire. They'd been following Ruddiger for a little while, patiently watching him sniff about and run down different roads and paths. It was a little past midnight now, and their worries grew to the point of deep concern for the boy's safety. They'd only just gotten him back, and weren't in any way ready to lose him again.

Rapunzel sighed, feeling her anxiety level increase every minute he wasn't in her sights. She felt Eugene, who sat behind her, put a comforting hand on her shoulder and lean forward to pull her to his chest. "Don't worry, Blondie, we'll find him soon; Ruddiger knows him more than even Quirin does." he said, quietly as to not disturb the raccoon's concentration. Rapunzel nodded, though still felt the same amount of distress as before.

After a few more quiet minutes of walking down the path---save for the trodding hooves of the stallions---Ruddiger suddenly stopped and perked his head up, looking to the right, where the forest lead deeper. The horses stopped, and the humans aboard them turned to face where the animal was facing. 

It was very quiet for a moment, and they watched as Ruddiger cautiously took a few more steps towards the bushes. Rapunzel bit back a gasp when she heard them suddenly rustle, and instinctively gripped onto her frying pan strapped at Max's side. Eugene's hand hovered over his dagger, and Quirin's over his sheathed sword, ready for anything to come out of the underbrush. 

A few more rustles later, a shadowy figure emerged, and Ruddiger immediately ran up to them and chirped happily. Upon closer inspection, Rapunzel recognized the small figure, and could see the small glow of white and blue hair in the moonlight. Relief flooded her as she let go of her cooking utensil, and jumped off the horse to run to him. 

Varian let out a small 'oof' at Rapunzel's sudden bear hug, taking a moment to hug her back. A few seconds later, she pulled away, unable to push back the tears in her eyes. "Oh, Varian! I was so worried!" she expressed, cupping his face in her hands to double check he was real. Luckily, he was. 

Quirin and Eugene were quick to approach, the larger of the two pulling his son into his large arms. "Oh, Son...I was worried that witch had gotten you again." 

Varian flinched ever so slightly at that, looking guilty. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to worry any of you guys, really. I just needed to breath and be alone for awhile." 

Rapunzel smiled sadly, ignoring the look of suspicion on Ruddiger's face. "Did it help?" 

Varian took a minute to answer, deep in thought for a bit before nodding, smiling wide. "Yeah...it-it did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruddiger is right to be suspicious...

**Author's Note:**

> I promise it's not the end! There will be more chapters!
> 
> Also: Yes....I not only names the story after a song by Harry Styles, but I named a chapter and based a whole scene off of Hamilton. 
> 
> Bite me.


End file.
